ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many gifts and acts of hospitality recorded on the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) gifts and hospitality register in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13 to date were received from companies that had contracts with the SFO.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office has compiled the information following by comparing its gifts and hospitality register with financial payments information. Individual lawyers have not been included, but group practices have.
	
		
			  Number of entries from companies with which the SFO had a financial relationship during the year 
			 2009-10 6 
			 2010-11 3 
			 2011-12 3 
			 2012-13 (to date) 6

WORK AND PENSIONS

Advertising

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on whether it is permitted for a political candidate to be featured on an advertisement sponsored by his Department in local newspapers or press.

Mark Hoban: The Cabinet Office, rather than the Department for Work and Pensions sets out guidance relating to advertising.

Cold Weather Payments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) households in total, (b) pensioner households, (c) working-age households, (d) two adult working-age households with children, (e) one adult working-age households and (f) one adult working-age households with children received cold weather payments in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of cold weather payments to qualifying benefit units 
			  Number of payments 
			 2007-08 472,000 
			 2008-09 8,416,000 
			 2009-10 11,870,000 
			 2010-11 17,232,000 
			 2011-12 5,167,000 
			 Notes: 1. The information is not collated per household. 2. Cold weather payments are made to benefit units rather than to households or individuals. A benefit unit can be a single person or a couple and can include children. 3. Cold weather payment figures are taken from departmental records and reported in the Secretary of State's annual report on the Social Fund. 4. The number of payments is the total number paid to qualifying benefit units for all cold weather payment triggers during the period 1 November to 31 March. Qualifying individuals can receive more than one payment during this period. 5. Figures are to the nearest 1,000.

Employment and Support Allowance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for employment and support allowance on the grounds of (a) certain infectious and parasitic diseases, (b) neoplasms, (c) diseases of the blood and blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism, (d) endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, (e) mental and behavioural disorders, (f) diseases of the nervous system, (g) diseases of the eye and adnexa, (h) diseases of the ear and mastoid process, (i) diseases of the circulatory system, (j) diseases of the respiratory system, (k) factors influencing health status and contact with health services, (l) diseases of the digestive system, (m) diseases of the skin and subcutaneous system, (n) diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, (o) diseases of the genitourinary system, (p) pregnancy, childbirth and pueperium, (q) certain conditions originating in the perinatal period, (r) congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities, (s) symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified and (t) injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes were disallowed following a personal capability assessment in each of the last three years.

Mark Hoban: There are no statistics on the outcomes of personal capability assessments in the last three years. However the Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance and the work capability assessment. The latest report was published in January 2013 and table 7 includes outcomes of initial assessments broken down by the required health conditions which can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page =esa_wca

Employment and Support Allowance

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants of employment and support allowance have been assigned to the work-related activity group as a result of clerical error and subsequently reassigned to the support group in (a) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many claimants of employment and support allowance have been assigned to jobseeker's allowance as a result of clerical error and subsequently reassigned to employment and support allowance in the (a) work-related activity group and (b) support group in (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency , (ii) the North West and (iii) England in each of the last three years.

Mark Hoban: DWP is unable to provide the information requested as this data is not gathered at either national or local level.

Housing Benefit

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to consider the cases of applicants for the discretionary housing payment who are unable to find smaller houses due to lack of housing stock when providing guidance to local authorities.

Steve Webb: It is for local authorities who administer the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme to determine applications from people who are unable to meet the rent shortfall arising from the under occupancy measure. The scheme is discretionary, and as such decisions relating to the priority of applications are best made at a local level.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from charities and voluntary organisations on the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on disabled people.

Steve Webb: Ministers and departmental officials have met, and continue to meet on a regular basis, with representatives from a range of charitable and voluntary organisations to discuss various aspects of the Government's plans for welfare reform, including details of the removal of the spare room subsidy for social tenants.
	During the development of the measure to remove the spare room subsidy officials from the Department for Work and Pensions met with charitable and voluntary organisations to discuss the emerging policy.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the rent of those parents of disabled children exempted from the under-occupancy penalty will be paid from the general housing benefit budget rather than through discretionary housing payments; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: If local authorities are satisfied that an extra bedroom is required for a disabled child or children then payments will be made from the general housing benefit budget.
	Where an extra bedroom is not deemed essential, discretionary housing payments may be considered, based on the circumstances and facts of each individual case.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his recent announcement exempting households with disabled children from the under-occupancy penalty, for what reasons adults requiring a separate bedroom on disability grounds are not also to be exempted.

Steve Webb: People living in social housing will be able to claim housing benefit for an extra bedroom if their disabilities are such that they require a non-resident carer (or team of carers) to stay overnight.
	In addition to this an extra £25 million has been allocated to the £20 million baseline discretionary housing payment funding to specifically help those who live in specially adapted homes. The baseline funding is however available for other priority groups including those with long-term medical conditions that may create difficulties for those who would normally be expected to share a bedroom.
	This policy will be monitored and evaluated over the next two years. An initial report should be available by April 2014 with the final report being available in 2015.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 9WS, on housing benefit reform, how many households in Hull he expects to qualify for the exemptions to the under-occupancy penalty on social housing.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at a local authority level.

Housing Benefit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington North constituency are in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance; and what the average weekly sum awarded under such benefits is.

Steve Webb: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients in Warrington North parliamentary constituency November 2012: Caseload and average amounts paid 
			  Total number of recipients Average weekly amount (£) 
			 All housing benefit recipients 7,970 77.45 
			 Local housing allowance recipients 1,490 84.16 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at the second Thursday of the month. 3. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10 and average weekly amounts are rounded to the nearest penny. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and November 2012 is the most recent available. Source: Single housing benefit extract (SHBE)

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Mark Hoban: The Department operates two pay-related employee reward schemes. They comprise end of year non-consolidated performance payments and in-year non-consolidated performance awards.
	Performance payments and awards are a key element of the Department for Work and Pension's reward strategy; supporting performance improvement, employee engagement and delivery of key business objectives. This is in line with Government policy.
	For information prior to 2011-12 I refer you to the answer my predecessor gave on 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 392W.
	The value of end of year consolidated awards and in-year awards for 2010-11 and 2011-12 for DWP staff and its Executive Agencies can be found on our website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/performance-related-pay.shtml
	For NDPBs the total bonus payments and number of officials receiving these payments are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  2011-12 
			 NDPB Total value of bonus payments (£) Number of officials receiving payments 
			 Independent Living Fund 79,053 121 
			 NEST 302,900 115 
			 Pensions Ombudsman 27,949 28 
			 The Pensions Regulator 401,818 (1)— 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service 54,900 (1)— 
			 HSE 2,098,700 1,856 
			 Remploy 1,672,038 349 
			 (1) No details provided. 
		
	
	The 20 largest payments made in 2011-12 in DWP and its non-departmental public bodies are:
	
		
			 Number of officials Value (£) 
			 1 17,500 
			 5 15,000 
			 1 14,119 
			 22 12,500

Personal Independence Payment

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of potential personal independence payment claimants who do not have a landline telephone in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.

Esther McVey: The Department does not hold estimates for the number of potential personal independence payment claimants who do not have a landline telephone.

Personal Independence Payment

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average length of time a person making an initial inquiry about claiming the personal independence payment will spend on the telephone.

Esther McVey: Seven minutes is the average time which has been assumed for a person making an initial inquiry by telephone. This is based on a range of services which DWP currently monitors; the current DLA/AA Helpline benchmark is between five to six minutes.

Social Security Benefits

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether it is his policy that domestic abuse survivors accommodated in refuge services should be exempt from the benefit cap;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy that the full cost of rent and service charges for accommodation in refuges for survivors of domestic abuse will be paid through benefits outside the universal credit system.

Steve Webb: Help towards housing costs for those living in supported exempt accommodation will be provided outside universal credit. This will ensure we continue to provide a flexible system to help meet the higher costs often associated with providing such accommodation. These arrangements will apply to refuges that meet the definition of supported exempt accommodation.
	The benefit cap will apply to claimants living in supported exempt accommodation but their housing costs will not form part of the benefit cap calculation.

Social Security Benefits: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 105W, on social security benefits, which local authority IT system is used by (a) Bromley, (b) Croydon, (c) Enfield and (d) Haringey local authority.

Mark Hoban: The breakdown of the local authority IT systems used is:
	(a) Bromley: Capita
	(b) Croydon: Northgate
	(c) Enfield: Civica
	(d) Haringey: Northgate.

Social Security Benefits: Worthing

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the new Enquire service was introduced into Worthing Benefit Centre.

Mark Hoban: Worthing Benefit Centre was one of the initial sites to trial this new system from June 2012.

Universal Credit

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the furthest distance a universal credit claimant will be from an internet access device that will be installed in jobcentres in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.

Mark Hoban: No such estimates has been made.

Universal Credit

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of free community access points that could be used by people in receipt of universal credit in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.

Mark Hoban: No such estimate has been made. There are many different ways for claimants to access the internet. Local libraries and jobcentres are just two examples of places that claimants could gain free access to the internet.

Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's impact assessment on the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill, what effect the Bank of England's February 2013 Inflation Report has had on (a) the estimated savings to the Exchequer from the Bill and (b) the estimated average change in household entitlement for those families with children affected by the Bill.

Steve Webb: Government uses inflation forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility to determine the estimated savings to the Exchequer and the estimated average change in household income from the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill.

Work Programme

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the performance of the Work Programme.

Mark Hoban: We have made it clear to all Work Programme providers that performance must continue to improve, and that we will take decisive action with those that do not deliver, for example by moving referrals to better performers.
	We are also working with providers and other interested parties to identify and spread best practice, and to ensure that the programme dovetails with other provision—a good example being access to the wage incentives available to young jobseekers under the Youth Contract.

PRIME MINISTER

Armed Forces Pay Review Body

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Ministry of Defence on his decision not to reappoint Professor Alasdair Smith as Chairperson of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

David Cameron: Sir Alastair Smith was appointed Chairman of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body for a three-year period. That has come to an end. The decision not to reappoint reflects a Government-wide policy of non-automatic reappointment to public bodies.

TREASURY

Banks: Cyprus

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of the Financial Secretary of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 620, on Cyprus, what intelligence his Department had on the discussions; when the intelligence was received; and whether a formal response was made.

Greg Clark: Ministers and senior officials are in regular contact with international counterparts on a range of issues. It is not appropriate to provide a running commentary on these discussions.
	As I told the House of Commons on 18 March, the UK was not party to discussions between Cyprus and the euro area on the levy that had been proposed.

Common Agricultural Policy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions the Prime Minister has had with EU ministers on the cost of the common agricultural policy (CAP) following the recent vote in the EU Parliament; whether the changes to the CAP will have any effect on the UK's rebate; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: Ministers maintain regular contact with other EU Ministers on a wide range of issues. The agreement reached at the February European Council in Brussels makes clear that the existing correction mechanism for the UK will continue to apply.

Economic Growth

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 March 2013, Official Report, columns 32-4WS, on economic development, whether his proposed Single Local Growth Fund will be eligible for full Barnett consequentials.

Danny Alexander: Barnett consequentials for the new Single Local Growth Fund will be considered as part of the forthcoming spending round which is due to report on 26 June.

Non-domestic Rates: Appeals

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals are with the Valuation Office Agency in relation to non-domestic rates which have not been placed into a sub-programme to be determined and have been pending since (a) before 2010, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

David Gauke: The Valuation Office Agency does not produce statistics on this basis, so these could be provided therefore only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people worked in customer services in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last four years.

David Gauke: The majority of HMRC staff (circa 64,000 full time equivalents) have an element of customer service within their job role. A fuller response to this question would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

Revenue and Customs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government is taking to improve the telephone and online assistance provided by HM Revenue and Customs.

David Gauke: In August 2012, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced that it would be investing up to £34 million for Contact Centres, £9 million to be spent in 2012-13 and a further £25 million in 2013-14. This investment aims to improve performance, meeting and then sustaining the target of answering 90% of all calls by the end of March 2013. From October 2012 to February 2013, HMRC achieved its 90% target and is working hard to sustain that performance.
	Earlier this year, HMRC also moved its Tax Credit helpline to a 0345 prefix service, representing 40% of its customer base. On 28 January 2013, HMRC advised the Public Accounts Committee that it also plans to start moving its remaining 0845 numbers to 03 prefix numbers. This work will start in April 2013, with its Child Benefit helpline. Ail other HMRC helplines with a 08 prefix will transfer to 03 prefix numbers by the end of summer 2013. This will help to reduce the costs of calls for some of HMRC's most vulnerable customers.
	HMRC is also seeking to strike a better balance across its different telephony performance measures, looking at customer waiting times as well as the volume of calls answered.
	From early 2013-14, HMRC will introduce speech recognition technology, meaning customers can access the correct service by what they say rather than using key pad options. HMRC is also introducing the automation of identification and verification procedures, meaning the majority of customers, will be able to identify themselves via system prompts before speaking to an adviser who can then immediately concentrate on answering their inquiry. This service will be introduced across eight of HMRC's telephone helplines.
	Further improvements are also planned, including the introduction of some self-serve options and changes to processes. This will reduce the need for adviser dependant calls.
	Digital solutions will also provide some customers with the option to use online services. HMRC plans to consult those customers unable to use digital services, looking at alternative solutions to develop a service which matches their needs.

Smuggling: Fuels

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to recent operations by HM Revenue and Customs staff in conjunction with Irish customs officers in border areas of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic relating to fuel laundering and organised crime, what steps he plans to take to ensure that future operations are not compromised by advance notice of such operations being available to those engaged in such illegal activity.

Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can not discuss operationally sensitive matters. However, I can confirm that the HMRC Criminal Investigation Directorate adopts a proactive process of operational security before, during and after all operational activity, including multi-agency and cross border operations. Our law enforcement partners operate similar precautions. HMRC has no reason believe that those precautions have been compromised.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Electronic Government: Petitions

David Morris: To ask the Leader of the House whether there is a procedure for the removal of an e-petition from the Government website if no foundation of facts is supplied in the subject of that e-petition.

Andrew Lansley: The Government e-petitions site requires that petitions abide by its terms and conditions, including a condition that petitions may not be “Confidential, libellous, false or defamatory”. The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is able to consider complaints and remove petitions from the site if they are found to be in breach of any of the terms and conditions.
	The site's terms and conditions are publicly available at
	http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/terms-and-conditions
	For the convenience of the House, I am placing a copy in the Library.

TRANSPORT

A303: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured on the A303 in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Hammond: The number of people that have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured on the A303 in each of the last 10 years is given in following table:
	
		
			  Casualties 
			  (a) Killed (b) Seriously injured 
			 2002 11 51 
			 2003 6 46 
			 2004 15 47 
		
	
	
		
			 2005 6 33 
			 2006 8 47 
			 2007 11 40 
			 2008 9 37 
			 2009 4 25 
			 2010 7 46 
			 2011 5 38 
		
	
	Data for the year 2012 will be available in June 2013.

A590 and A595: Accidents

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many accidents were recorded on the A590 in each of the last five years; and how many such accidents led to (a) fatalities and (b) injuries;
	(2)  how many accidents were recorded on the A595 in each of the last five years; and how many such accidents led to (a) fatalities and (b) injuries.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not collect information on damage only accidents.
	The number of reported personal injury road accidents on A590 and A595 in each of the last five years that led to (a) fatalities and (b) injuries is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Reported personal injury road accidents on A590 and A595: 2002-11 
			  Accidents(1) 
			  A590 A595 
			  Fatal Injured(2) Fatal Injured(2) 
			 2007 0 95 3 137 
			 2008 3 75 3 110 
			 2009 1 63 2 116 
			 2010 1 71 6 104 
			 2011 3 57 3 91 
			 (1) Some of the accidents would have resulted in more than one casualty. (2) Injured—consist of serious or slight accidents. 
		
	
	Data for the year 2012 will be available in June 2013

Biofuels

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the total value is of Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation certificates that have been awarded for using waste derived from biomethane in each year since 2006;
	(2)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the available supply of waste derived from biomethane for use by the transport sector;
	(3)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the use of liquefied biomethane by the transport sector;
	(4)  what proportion of the UK supply of waste derived from biomethane was used (a) by the energy sector for electricity generation and (b) as a transport fuel in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The Government recognises the potential of biomethane made from waste as a transport fuel. Both when it is compressed and when it is liquefied, biomethane consistently demonstrates some of highest carbon savings of any renewable transport fuel.
	The Government's Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/publications/files/anaerobic-digestion-strat-action-plan.pdf
	highlighted the need to build a robust evidence base using longer term research and experience, and a detailed analysis to understand the barriers that currently restrict the use of biomethane as a transport fuel. As part of that work the Department for Transport launched the Low Carbon Truck Demonstration Trial in March 2012 to help operators establish and run fleets of alternative and dual-fuel HGVs and part-fund public refuelling hubs.
	The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme, which has been in operation since 2008, incorporates a certificate trading mechanism designed to increase the efficiency of compliance. Since December 2011, following UK implementation of the sustainability criteria for transport biofuels in the EU Renewable Energy Directive, biomethane derived from waste which meets mandatory sustainability criteria receives two Renewable Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) per kg of biogas reported, double the amount for crop based biofuels.
	The value of RTFCs is determined by the market. Whilst the Government monitors the value at which RTFCs are traded generally, market prices fluctuate and the Government does not hold information on the value of specific trades. This information is not required from third parties for the purpose of administering the scheme.
	Biogas is eligible to receive RTFCs and volumes are reported under the RTFO. All biogas reported to date has been biomethane. RTFO Obligation years run 15 to 14 April and Table 1 below sets out verified data reported on the supply of biomethane by kilogram as reported and expressed in terms of tonnes of oil equivalent, so that the reported RTFO volumes can be compared with the figures for biogas used in electricity and heat in Table 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Biomethane (Biogas) kilograms reported under the RTFO 
			  Obligation year 
			 Used in road transport 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Biomethane (Biogas) 415,700 195,797 428,207 723,135 
			 Thousand tonnes of oil equivalent 0.395 0.186 0.407 0.687 
		
	
	Of this data, 330,218 kg of biogas was reported between December 2011 and April 2012 as coming from municipal waste and was therefore eligible to receive two certificates per kg. In addition between April and October 2012, 577,873 kg of biogas was reported, all of which was derived from municipal waste(1).
	Most biogas from landfill and the anaerobic digestion of food waste, sewage sludge and other organic wastes is burnt to produce electricity and heat. Energy generated from biomethane is not classified separately and cannot be distinguished from energy generated from biogas. We expect that only a small amount of biogas is upgraded to biomethane and injected into the national gas grid. Table 2 as follows, drawn from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Digest of UK Energy Statistics (2012 edition) illustrates the biogas volumes being used in heat and electricity in the last five years for which data is available.
	
		
			 Table 2: Biogas used to generate heat and electricity, thousand tonnes of oil equivalent 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Used to generate electricity      
			 Landfill gas 1,533.9 1,560.3 1,624.2 1,644.5 1,633.1 
			 Sewage sludge digestion 161.9 174.4 196.1 228.8 247.6 
			 Anaerobic digestion 4.9 4.2 9.7 30.3 78.5 
			       
			 Used to generate heat      
			 Landfill gas 13.6 13.6 13.6 13.6 13.6 
			 Sewage sludge digestion 49.5 49.8 51.0 57.8 66.1 
			 Anaerobic digestion 2.0 2.0 2.0 4.8 9.8 
			       
			 Total Biogas 1,765.8 1,804.3 1896.6 1,979.8 2,048.7 
			 Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics, 2012 edition which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes 
		
	
	It is expected that there will be an increase in the availability of biogas from anaerobic digestion. Whilst there were 54 plants in mid 2011, now there are 106 anaerobic digestion plants (and about 150 dealing with sewage sludge). The Government estimated in the Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan that about 5 million tonnes of food waste might be available for anaerobic digestion by 2020. The Department of Energy and Climate Change review of the generation costs and deployment potential of renewable electricity technologies in the UK estimated that the current feedstock for anaerobic digestion in the sewage sector is 1.37 million tonnes dry solids. (Estimates for sewage and landfill gas are available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/42843/3237-cons-ro-banding-arup-report.pdf)
	(1 )Department for Transport Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation statistics:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/series/biofuels-statistics

Driving Instruction: Qualifications

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what professional qualifications people trading as driving instructors are required to have.

Stephen Hammond: Approved driving instructors (ADIs) are required to pass a three-part qualification process consisting of a theory test, a test of driving ability and a test of instructional ability. If this is successfully completed their name may be entered into the ADI register. They must also complete a periodic reassessment of their instructional ability at least once every four years.

Driving Instruction: Qualifications

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what NVQs are awarded by the Driving Standards Agency to qualified driving instructors who are nationally registered with the Association of Driving Instructors.

Stephen Hammond: The Driving Standards Agency does not award NVQs to approved driving instructors.

Goring and Streatley Station

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with First Great Western about the cost of redeveloping Goring and Streatley station.

Norman Baker: We have had no recent discussions with First Great Western about the cost of improving facilities at Goring and Streatley station. However, we are in dialogue with Network Rail to explore whether opportunities to install lifts to the station bridge may exist as part of the electrification programme. Failing that, we will consider the case for including Goring and Streatley in the next tranche of Access for All main schemes.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stone of 1 February 2013, Official Report, column 1007W, on High Speed 2 railway line, whether the announced package of discretionary measures will be the same for property owners along phase two of High Speed 2 as for those along phase one; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We are still considering the effect of Mr Justice Ouseley's judgment on our proposals for discretionary compensation. We will launch a fresh consultation on discretionary compensation as a priority.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average offer made was for properties prior to an application to the Exceptional Hardship scheme relating to the High Speed 2 route as a percentage of the price at which the property was first marketed.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd does not currently hold this information as it is not collated as a matter of course. I have asked HS2 Ltd to draw the requested information together. As soon as this has been done I will write to the right hon. Lady and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of costs his Department will be (a) seeking and (b) paying to the organisations that brought the judicial reviews against High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: The Department will be claiming costs from the local authority claimants, Heathrow Hub Ltd, HS2 Action Alliance (for its main claim), and the Aylesbury Park Golf Club. The level of costs that we claim from the local authorities and Heathrow Hub Ltd will be subject to an assessment. The level of costs that we claim from HS2 Action Alliance and the Aylesbury Park Golf Club will be up to the value of £10,000 from each, due to protective cost orders that are in place for these claims. The Department is also required to pay the costs of HS2 Action Alliance (for its property claim) up to the value of £25,000.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what compensation he plans to seek from Dialogue for Design following the adverse judgement against the running of the first consultation compensation process for High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: The flaws identified by Mr Justice Ouseley in the Government's 2011 consultation on compensation were not related to Dialogue by Design's analysis, nor were they caused by any fault of Dialogue by Design. Therefore there is no need for the Government to take any action against them.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to tender for the re-run of the compensation consultation process for High Speed 2; and if he will take steps to exclude Dialogue for Design from any such consultation.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport is now giving detailed consideration to all aspects of the fresh consultation on compensation options, including any new tender.
	The European procurement directive requires that companies are treated equally and in a non-discriminatory way and applications for work have to be treated on their merits on a fair and consistent basis.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the estimated cost is to his Department of re-running the compensation consultation for the first stage of High Speed 2;
	(2)  when he plans to re-run the consultation on compensation for the first stage of High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We are still considering the implications of the recent judgment on our proposals for discretionary compensation.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many responses were received to the public consultation in 2011 by the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) on the incorporation of EU Directive 2010/48EU on vehicle road worthiness into the VOSA MOT testing manual;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of responses received to the public consultation in 2011 by the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) on the incorporation of EU Directive 2010/48EU on vehicle road worthiness into the VOSA MOT testing manual.

Stephen Hammond: The Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) received five responses to its public consultation on the incorporation of EU Directive 2010/48EU on vehicle road worthiness into the VOSA MOT testing manual. The results of the review will be published in April 2013 and a copy placed in the Library.

Motorways: Litter

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to the answers of 1 March 2013, Official Report, column 695W and 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 21W, on motorways: litter, what monitoring has taken place of the Highways Agency Area 10 contractors' obligations to exercise his duties under section 89(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in the last six months;
	(2)  when the Highways Agency Area 10 contractors' obligations to exercise his duties under section 89(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 will next be monitored;
	(3)  what the outcome was of the last monitoring of Highways Agency Area 10 contractors' obligations to exercise his duties under section 89(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
	(4)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that breaches of his duties under section 89(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 do not occur in the future;
	(5)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that that the motorway verges, hard shoulders, central reservations, slip roads and embankments on the M60 between the River Tame at Denton and junction 23 at Audenshaw are kept to the appropriate standards of cleanliness as laid out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the code of practice in the future;
	(6)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that the motorway verges, hard shoulders, central reservations, slip roads and embankments on the M67 between junction 1 and the River Tame at Denton are kept to the appropriate standards of cleanliness as laid out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the code of practice in the future;
	(7)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that that the motorway verges, hard shoulders, central reservations, slip roads and embankments on the M60, M67 and A57 roundabout at junction 24 at Denton are kept to the appropriate standards of cleanliness as laid out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the code of practice in the future;
	(8)  when the cleanliness standards at the M60 between the River Tame at Denton and junction 23 at Audenshaw will next be checked by officers of his Department; and if he will report the findings of those checks to the House;
	(9)  when the cleanliness standards at the M67 between junction 1 and the River Tame at Denton will next be checked by officers of his Department; and if he will report the findings of those checks to the House;
	(10)  when the cleanliness standards at the M60, M67 and A57 roundabout at junction 24 at Denton will next be checked by officers of his Department; and if he will report the findings of those checks to the House.

Stephen Hammond: To ensure compliance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Highways Agency assesses the sweeping and cleaning performance of its maintenance contractors. This is undertaken through an evidence based performance management regime. Contractor performance reviews happen monthly.
	The Highways Agency's most recent review of its contractor's performance in inspecting and removing litter from motorways in Area 10 was undertaken at the end of February 2013. The contractor's performance was assessed to be of the required standard. These performance management arrangements are ongoing with the aim of ensuring that the Environmental Protection Act 1990 continues to be complied with.
	The contractors are employed to undertake work on the strategic road network in England on the Agency's behalf and adopt a risk based approach to dealing with litter to make most efficient use of resources. This means that those parts of the network that historically suffer the worst litter problems are inspected more frequently.
	The Highways Agency's contractor for Area 10 is required to alert the responsible Council if they observe significant litter accumulations on the all purpose trunk road network. Tameside metropolitan borough council is responsible for removing litter from the A57 trunk road circulatory carriageway at Junction 24 of the M60.

Motorways: Litter

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what his legal obligations are under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 89, with regard to litter on motorways;
	(2)  whether the cleaning regime specified for the M60 and M67 motorways is designed to meet his duty to keep the motorway clear of litter and refuse contained within the litter code at paragraph 9.1 or to meet the last resort response times as specified in the litter code at paragraph 9.4 and table 1;
	(3)  how his Department monitors the performance of the M60 and M67 maintenance service provider to ensure that the service level set in the contract is delivered both to specification and to meet his legal duty as contained in the Environmental Protection Act 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Highways Agency is obliged by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that motorways and other land in its ownership are, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse.
	The contractual specification for Area 10 is designed to meet obligations for all motorways within that geographical area, including the M60 and M67, to keep them clear of litter and refuse. This is in accordance with paragraph 9.1 of the code of practice and to meet the last resort response time in accordance with paragraph 9.4.
	The Highways Agency assesses the sweeping and cleaning performance of its maintenance contractor for motorways in Area 10. This is undertaken through an evidence-based performance management regime, with contractor performance reviews happening monthly.

Railways: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on rail infrastructure in (a) East Yorkshire, (b) Yorkshire and Humber region and (c) London in the last five years.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport does not hold information on rail infrastructure spending on a regional basis. However, the Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA) tables do provide regional breakdown of total transport spend. These breakdowns can be found on the HM Treasury website at the following link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pesa_complete_2012.pdf

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the need for additional capacity at Stockport Station and Heaton Norris junction to facilitate service reprogramming resulting from Northern Hub and electrification work around Greater Manchester;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the need for signal modernisation at Stockport to increase cross-over slots at Heaton Norris junction;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of capacity constraints at Stockport Station and Heaton Norris junction.

Simon Burns: Network Rail, working with operators and other key stakeholders, has assessed the need for additional capacity across the whole of the Manchester area as part of the Northern Hub strategy. It has not identified any capacity constraints and therefore a need for additional capacity or signal modernisation at Stockport station or Heaton Norris.

Railways: North West

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential for redirecting rail services between Stockport and Stalybridge and beyond to facilitate the reprogramming resulting from Northern Hub and electrification work around Greater Manchester;
	(2)  has made of the potential for redirecting rail services between Stockport and Manchester Victoria and beyond to facilitate the reprogramming resulting from Northern Hub and electrification work around Greater Manchester.

Simon Burns: It is for local authorities and Passenger Transport Executives to determine whether a new local rail service is the best way to meet local transport needs. Transport for Greater Manchester has not identified that the provision of a regular service between Stockport and Stalybridge or Manchester Victoria is a priority for the authority; therefore, no detailed work has been carried out to assess the potential for such a service as part of the Northern Hub strategy.

Roads: East Sussex

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the economic case for the Bexhill to Hastings link road, with his guidance to the local transport boards that only in exceptional circumstances can schemes with lower than high value for money be funded; what his criteria are for determining such exceptional circumstances; if he will publish the details of any exceptional circumstances that apply to the Bexhill to Hastings link road; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department is still assessing the economic case of the “full approval” application for the scheme submitted by East Sussex County Council in December 2012. Any expenditure carried out to date by the Essex County Council has been at its own risk.
	Value for money plays an important part in our investment decisions but it is not the only consideration. Our assessment of schemes follows a wider, staged approach as set out in The Transport Business Case in line with HM Treasury's recommended “five case” model (strategic, economic, commercial, financial, and management cases). The Department takes into account the evidence in all five cases when making investment decisions.
	We want to ensure that the value for money of the devolved local authority major schemes programme is maintained and therefore would expect that Local Transport Bodies (LTBs) would only in exceptional circumstances agree to fund schemes with lower than “high” value for money.
	If LTBs wish to retain the flexibility to fund schemes assessed at less than “high” value for money, their assurance framework should clearly set out the circumstances under which funding for such schemes would be considered, and outline any additional scrutiny or conditions that would apply.

Sunderland Port

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the level of (a) public and (b) private sector investment in the Port of Sunderland was in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold information on public or private sector investment in the Port of Sunderland.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Norman Baker: The Department currently only operates one 0870 telephone number, which is for general enquiries to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. This is a local rate number.
	The majority of calls from the public to the Department and its agencies are handled through its contact centres which largely use free phone 0800 and local rate 0300 numbers.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Nepal

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has provided to Nepal in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: DFID has an operational plan for Nepal which commits up to £331 million of UK official development assistance during the period 2011-15. This operational plan is available on the DFID website.
	DFID's assistance to Nepal is set around four pillars which we believe are critical to secure long-term peace and development: (1) Governance and Security; (2) Inclusive Wealth Creation; (3) Service Delivery (Health, Education and Water and Sanitation); and (4) Disaster and Climate Change Resilience.
	In 2010-11 DFID disbursed £57.8 million of bilateral development assistance to Nepal. In 2011-12 DFID's disbursement was £62.2 million. In 2012-13 DFID plans to disburse £55 million.
	By 2015 the UK's development assistance, in partnership with the Government of Nepal, will have created 230,000 jobs; lifted 570,000 people out of poverty; averted 108,000 unintended pregnancies, ensured 110,000 people benefit from safe latrines and will have made 4 million people better able to cope with natural disasters.

Overseas Aid

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of international aid provided by the Government is spent on resources provided by the Ministry of Defence.

Alan Duncan: The Minister of Defence (MOD) is able to provide assistance to DFID during times of humanitarian crisis overseas. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed in 2007 and reconfirmed in autumn 2012. DFID is not currently drawing on MOD resources to assist with overseas humanitarian disasters.

Palestinians

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether UK aid contributes to the Palestinian Authority TV channel.

Alan Duncan: There is no Palestinian Authority (PA) TV channel. The “Palestine TV” channel is commissioned by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and reports to the Office of the Palestinian President. It is subject to official directives that make clear that it must avoid any content of programs that endorse or propagate violence. Otherwise it has editorial independence and its output does not represent PA policy.

Palestinians

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information has been provided by the Palestinian Authority on the total in monthly salaries paid from the Treasury of the Palestinian National Authority to (a) civil servants, (b) military personnel and (c) prisoners in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Finance publishes information on all its expenditure on its website. Details of spending by Ministry and sector for the whole of 2012 is available at the following link:
	www.pmof.ps/en/

Palestinians

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what audits her Department has undertaken on monthly salaries paid from the Treasury of the Palestinian National Authority;
	(2)  which Palestinian Authority civil servants receive salaries from the Palestinian Authority that are part-funded through UK aid; and what arrangements are in place to monitor those payments.

Justine Greening: UK support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is used to pay for the salaries of civil servants who meet defined eligibility criteria, including being screened against international and ad hoc sanctions. Use of UK funds is independently audited.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Alan Duncan: We do not use a 0870 number.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Centre for Global Eco-Innovation

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much European Regional Development Fund funding has been paid to Inventya Ltd for work associated with the Centre for Global Innovation in the last period for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: Inventya have been paid £38,862 European Regional Development Fund funding for the period up to 30 September 2012 for work associated with the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation.
	Inventya, as a delivery partner, contract is £861,207 of which the European Regional Development Fund will contribute £430,603.50. A further claim is pending payment for the period up to 31 December 2012 of which Inventya are due European Regional Development Funding of £20,915.

Local Government Finance: Northamptonshire

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount (a) Corby Borough Council, (b) East Northamptonshire District Council and (c) Northamptonshire County Council (i) received in formula grant in each of the last four years and (ii) will receive in formula grant in 2013-14.

Brandon Lewis: Formula grant, funding for each year is given on our website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/0910/grant.htm#set
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1011/grant.htm#set
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htm#set
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1213/grant.htm#set
	Changes in local authority funding and function mean Formula Grant figures for one year cannot be compared directly with those for a different year. An example is the transfer of funding for Concessionary Travel from districts to counties in two-tier shire areas in 2011-12.
	From April 2013 Formula Grant is being replaced and councils will get to keep 50% of total business rates growth.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not use 0870 customer service numbers. It has a public inquiries number with the prefix 030.
	030 numbers were specifically designed for not-for-profit organisations, charities and public sector bodies to offer consumers a single point of contact nationally. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and must be included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value is of those feed-in tariffs and renewable fuel obligation certificates that have been awarded to the energy sector for using waste derived from biomethane in (a) 2011-12 and (b) the previous five years.

Gregory Barker: Electricity generated from biomethane is eligible for the prevailing levels of support available to anaerobic digestion (AD) generating stations accredited under the feed-in tariff (FIT) and renewables obligation (RO) schemes. Biomethane generation is not classified separately from other forms of AD generation and so the value of any support awarded cannot be distinguished from the total value of the support awarded to AD stations through these two schemes. The total value of the feed-in tariffs and renewable obligation certificates awarded to AD generating stations in the six years from 2006-07 is set out in the following table. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.
	
		
			 Financial year Value of feed-in tariffs issued (£ million) Value of ROCs issued (£ million) 
			 2006-07 0 0.5 
			 2007-08 0 0.7 
			 2008-09 0 0.7 
			 2009-10 0 5.0 
			 2010-11 0.2 11.7 
			 2011-12 7.2 16.4 
		
	
	The FIT scheme was introduced on 1 April 2010, so only figures from 2010-11 onwards are shown. FITs spending data are not collected at technology level. However, DECC has estimated spending for AD schemes based on generation reported to Ofgem for each of 2010-11 and 2011-12, multiplied by the tariff rate payable for those years. The figures in the table do not include spending on exports (the value of which to the supplier can be greater than the tariff paid).

Biofuels

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment his Department has made of the financial incentives available per unit of biomethane if utilised for (a) electricity generation through the Renewables Obligation, (b) electricity generation through feed-in tariffs and (c) transport through the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.

Gregory Barker: Biomethane is almost pure methane which is obtained by cleaning up the biogas generated by anaerobic digestion (AD). Biomethane is typically used to generate heat or as a transport fuel. It is not typically used to generate electricity because it is much cheaper to generate electricity directly from the biogas. However, if a generator wished to use biomethane for electricity generation, such generation would be eligible for support under the relevant AD band in the renewables obligation (RO) and AD tariff in the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. The incentives available through the RO and FIT for AD electricity generation have been revised following comprehensive reviews of those two schemes. The details were published in July 2012(1). DECC has not assessed the availability of support for biomethane under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) as responsibility for that schemes rests with the Department for Transport.
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/supporting-large-scale-renewable-electricity-generation
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tariffs-for-non-pv-technologies-comprehensive-review-phase-2b

Cheaper Energy Together

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of bids from local authorities to the Cheaper Energy Together scheme have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each region since the inception of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Cheaper Energy Together collective switching fund was open to local authorities and third sector organisations in Great Britain. The Department received 114 applications, 76 of which were from local authorities. The following table shows the number of local authorities in each region or devolved administration that applied and were successful or not.
	
		
			 Region/Devolved administration Number of local authority applications Successful Unsuccessful 
			 East Midlands 10 2 8 
			 East of England 11 4 7 
			 Greater London 5 2 3 
			 North East 6 2 4 
			 North West 9 4 5 
			 South East 12 3 9 
			 South West 6 3 3 
			 West Midlands 6 2 4 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4 2 2 
			 Scotland 1 0 1 
			 Wales 6 0 6

Cheaper Energy Together

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authorities applied for Cheaper Energy Together funding; and which bids were (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Gregory Barker: The Cheaper Energy Together collective switching fund was open to local authorities and third sector organisations in Great Britain. The Department received 114 applications, 76 of which were from local authorities. The following table shows the local authorities that applied and whether they were successful or not.
	
		
			 Local authority(1) Successful (Yes/No) 
			 Cherwell District Council No 
			 North Norfolk District Council Yes 
			 Breckland Council No 
			 Tunbridge Borough Council Yes 
			 Nottingham City Council Yes 
			 Nottinghamshire County Council No 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham No 
			 Lincolnshire County Council No 
			 Northumberland County Council Yes 
			 Newcastle City Council No 
			 South Lakeland District Council No 
			 Peterborough City Council (Bid 2) No 
			 Aylesbury Vale District Council No 
			 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council No 
			 London Borough of Havering No 
			 Cyngor Gwynedd No 
			 Blackburn and Darwen Borough Council Yes 
			 South Tyneside Council Yes 
			 Ceredigion County Council No 
			 Ashfield District Council No 
			 Exeter City Council Yes 
			 South Ayrshire Council No 
			 Peterborough City Council (Bid 1) Yes 
			 Birmingham City Council Yes 
			 London Borough of Islington No 
			 Oldham Council Yes 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets Yes 
			 Derby City Council No 
			 Wiltshire Council Yes 
			 Wootton Parish Council No 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council No 
			 Rutland County Council No 
			 Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Yes 
			 Monmouthshire County Council No 
			 Derbyshire County Council No 
			 Cardiff Council No 
			 Allerdale Borough Council No 
			 Plymouth City Council No 
			 Norwich City Council Yes 
			 Sheffield City Council Yes 
			 South Holland District Council No 
			 Corby Borough Council/Electric Corby Yes 
			 Colchester Borough Council No 
			 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council No 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council No 
			 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council No 
			 Portsmouth City Council No 
		
	
	
		
			 Eastleigh Borough Council No 
			 Calderdale Council Yes 
			 Dorset County Council No 
			 Suffolk County Council No 
			 Carlisle City Council No 
			 Blackpool Council No 
			 Bournemouth Borough Council No 
			 Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead No 
			 Stoke on Trent City Council No 
			 Reading Borough Council No 
			 Cornwall Council/Eden Project Yes 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Council Yes 
			 Coventry City Council Yes 
			 Gateshead Council No 
			 Hull City Council No 
			 Cheshire East Council Yes 
			 Southampton City Council No 
			 Northampton Borough Council No 
			 Sunderland City Council No 
			 Southend on Sea Borough Council No 
			 North Warwickshire Borough Council No 
			 Broadland District Council Yes 
			 Cheshire West and Chester Council No 
			 Isle of Wight Council Yes 
			 Luton Borough Council No 
			 Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council No 
			 Woking Borough Council Yes 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council No 
			 Eastbourne Borough Council No 
			 (1) Some local authorities applied as a consortium. Only the lead local authorities are listed here.

Drax Power Station

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential emissions reductions expected from the Drax coal to biomass conversion project;
	(2)  what evidence his Department received on potential emissions reductions resulting from the Drax coal to biomass conversion; and on what dates that evidence was received.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Drax is regulated through an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. Any proposed change in the operation of the installation has to be assessed by the Environment Agency so that, if appropriate, the permit can be varied to deal with the change.
	Assessments of applications to vary an environmental permit are made available to view on the public register maintained by the Environment Agency.
	In February this year the Environment Agency received an initial application from Drax for a permit variation to allow conversion of part of the plant from coal firing to biomass firing. The application did not contain sufficient information for the application to be progressed.
	The Environment Agency is currently in discussions with the operator to allow a time limited trial to be undertaken to ascertain the information required before a further application, which assesses the actual change in sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates emissions, is made.

Electricity Interconnectors

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress his Department has made on plans to extend electricity cable links between the UK and France; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Interconnection between Britain and other countries can bring a range of benefits to Britain. Government currently has no direct role in planning, building or extending interconnection. The market in Britain is commercially-driven with a number of different companies involved. We are aware of a number of developers planning links with France that would increase the capacity beyond the 2GW that already exists.

Energy: Billing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to require energy companies to put people aged over 75 on to the lowest tariff.

John Hayes: Ofgem's Retail Market Review proposals will ensure that all consumers are on the cheapest tariff in line with their preferences.
	The Government have also introduced clauses into the Energy Bill so that it can act to implement these important reforms in the event that Ofgem's proposals are frustrated or unduly delayed.

Energy: Billing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average household energy bill was in each region of the UK in each year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: DECC publishes data on average gas and electricity bills in major towns and cities in its Quarterly Energy Prices publication, in table 2.2.3 (electricity) and 2.3.3 (gas). These tables can be found at the following link, with data going back as far as 1998:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics
	These are based on assumed consumption levels of 3,300 kWh per year of electricity, and 18,O00 kWh per year of gas. Data is collected by Public Electricity Supply (PES) region for electricity and Local Distribution Zone (LDZ) for gas. However, because these differ in coverage, data are reported for a major town/city within the area.

Energy: Competition

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many customers switched energy supplier in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on the number of customers that have switched supplier in each local authority and region. DECC does, however, publish data on the total number of switches of gas and electricity supplier on a quarterly basis. This can be found in table 2.7.1 of the “Quarterly Energy Prices” publication. This table can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-switching-statistics
	DECC also publishes data on the proportion of customers in each region that are no longer with their home supplier (i.e. have switched away since the market opened up). This can be found in tables 2.4.1 (electricity) and 2.5.1 (gas) of the “Quarterly Energy Prices” publication:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Fuel Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of household income was spent on fuel for each decile of income in each year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: Data on the proportion of household income spent on fuel and light (excluding motor fuels) for each income decile group from 2006 to 2011 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Income decile 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Lowest 10% 10.2 11.0 11.7 12.6 12.3 11.6 
			 2 6.9 6.9 8.2 8.2 8.5 7.5 
			 3 5.6 5.4 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.1 
			 4 4.1 4.3 4.8 5.4 5.3 5.2 
			 5 3.5 3.6 3.8 4.2 4.4 4.5 
			 6 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.6 3.7 3.7 
			 7 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.3 3.1 3.1 
			 8 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.9 2.6 2.6 
			 9 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 
			 Highest 10% 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.5 
			 Overall 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.1 
		
	
	Before 2006, data is on a calendar year basis, and so is not directly comparable. Data is taken from the Living Costs and Food Survey, run by the Office for National Statistics. More information on this survey can be found here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/surveys/respondents/household/living-costs-and-food-survey/index.html

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how much his Department contributed in each category of expenditure to the cost of marketing material for the Green Deal low cost living house at the Ideal Home show 2013;
	(2)  how much his Department paid to Media 10 Ltd to promote the Green Deal low cost living house at the Ideal Home show 2013;
	(3)  how much his Department paid to George Clark to promote the Green Deal low cost living house at the Ideal Home show 2013 and for writing the forward to the Your Green Deal brochure.

Gregory Barker: DECC is sponsoring the Low Cost Living House (LCLH) at the Ideal Homes Show. The sponsorship package with Media10 cost £60,000 excluding VAT and includes:
	Naming rights of the Low Cost Living House across all marketing material (e.g. Low Cost Living House in association with Green Deal); visible branding in and around the LCLH to demonstrate which energy efficient measures are available under the Green Deal; six dedicated promotional staff to hand out Green Deal literature, including one Home Manager to support the staff and talk to visitors; an article and advertising space within the LCLH brochure; and certain other rights, including the right to distribute a mini-magazine explaining the Green Deal, including a forward from George Clark.
	The mini-magazine was produced by Freud; the costs of creation, copywriting, design, and producing a print run of 100,000 was £10,000, including the fee and image rights for the foreword from George Clark.
	We will place a copy of the mini-magazine referenced in the Libraries of the House.

Heating

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his heat strategy.

Gregory Barker: The Government will be setting out its plans on heat shortly.

Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies qualify for privilege days; and what the total cost to the public purse was of the number of privilege days utilised each year by such officials.

Gregory Barker: Following changes implemented in the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 1 March 2013 there are no delegated officials at grades AA to Grade 6 who qualify for privilege days.
	As of 28 February 2013 a total of 30 staff in the Departments non-departmental public bodies qualify for 1.5 privilege days per year at an average annual cost of £7,733.
	The terms and conditions of employment of senior civil servants (SCS) are determined centrally by the Cabinet Office who are currently reviewing the entitlement to privilege days as part of civil service reform. In the interim 105 SCS staff in the Department currently retain an entitlement to 1.5 privilege days per year at an average annual cost of £44,954.

Natural Gas: Storage

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of (a) the implications of geological faults on phase two of the High Speed 2 route from Birmingham to Manchester and (b) the potential effect of high speed trains on underground gas storage facilities.

Simon Burns: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	Phase Two of HS2 is at a very early stage of design and is an initial preference for the route. At this stage of the process, preliminary geotechnical desk based evaluation has been undertaken but no detailed surveys have taken place. Further work on this will be carried out in developing the design following consultation.
	With regard to underground gas storage facilities, HS2 Ltd are aware of existing and new infrastructure constraints where the information has been publically available. They are in contact with the relevant local authorities on the initial preferred route to understand the impacts of the proposed line in those areas. Further work on this will obviously continue as the design is developed following consultation.

Natural Gas: Storage

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will update the regulatory framework for underground salt cavern gas storage facilities to account for the potential risks posed by such storage facilities being in proximity to operating mines.

John Hayes: Planning controls and safe construction and operation of salt cavern gas storage facilities are covered by the Seveso II Directive. Planning aspects of the directive are implemented through planning legislation, which deals with the siting of such facilities. The safety aspects of the directive are implemented through the Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) Regulations 1999 (as amended) administered by the HSE. The Seveso II Directive will be superceded by a new Seveso III Directive which will be implemented in the UK in 2015 through updated planning and health and safety legislation. There will be full consultation on the new legislation which is currently under development.

Natural Gas: Storage

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will require underground gas storage operators to demonstrate their ability to meet their financial responsibilities in the event of being found liable for an underground gas storage failure.

John Hayes: There are no such plans, though we would expect gas storage operators to have in place public liability insurance to cover any potential liabilities as a matter of good business practice.

Natural Gas: Storage

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will impose financial responsibility requirements on natural gas storage operators to ensure that costs of cavern failure, gas leakage and any resultant harm to persons and property are allocated to operators.

John Hayes: Storage operations are subject to a robust regulatory regime that is designed to ensure that they are carried out to the highest standards. The Government has no plans to change the current law on liability in this area.

Natural Gas: Storage

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether data relating to (a) geological formations and (b) testing prior to undergroud gas storage operations are considered to be matters of national security which would be redacted from safety reports.

John Hayes: The Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure determines whether or not such issues are considered to be matters of national security, on a case by case basis.

Natural Resources

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what work his Department is undertaking on resource depletion and its implications for climate change and growth.

John Hayes: DECC's analysis of its policies and future energy market trends is underpinned by projections for the prices of oil, gas and coal:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/fossil-fuel-price-projections
	These projections are updated annually and take into account future availability of these resources based on potential trends in global supply and demand. DECC has also published (jointly with DFT and DEFRA) a UK Bioenergy Strategy which considers the future availability of bioenergy resources to the UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48337/5142-bioenergy-strategy-.pdf

Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil maintains dialogue with people in those areas proposed for shale gas development.

John Hayes: The new Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) within DECC will join up responsibilities across Government, provide a single point of contact for investors, and ensure a streamlined regulatory process. Active engagement with all stakeholders, including local communities in the areas which may be proposed for shale gas development, will be central to its role. The remit of the new Office, which we announced on 20 March:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-teams/office-of-unconventional-gas-and-oil-ougo
	emphasises that among the objectives of the Office will be supporting public engagement, helping people understand the facts about unconventional gas and oil and what it could mean in their area; and supporting local authorities, helping them to engage with the local community, resolve issues and ensure that projects are able to move forward, where appropriate.
	The new Office will help us to ensure that we can make the most of our natural resources, whilst protecting the environment, safeguarding the public and ensuring local communities feel some benefit from hosting developments. As announced today, it will bring forward proposals by the summer to ensure people benefit from shale gas production if there are future developments in their area.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Indian Ocean Territory

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made on resettling those evicted from the Chagos Islands in the 1960s.

Mark Simmonds: Now that the litigation in the European Court of Human Rights is concluded, the Government is taking stock of our policy towards the resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), as we always said we would. There are fundamental difficulties with resettlement in BIOT, but we will be as positive as possible in our engagement with Chagossian groups and all interested parties.

Cyprus

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government has to extend an invitation to the new President of Cyprus to make an official visit to London.

David Lidington: The Prime Minister spoke to the President-elect of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, on 24 February to congratulate him on his election success. We look forward to working closely with President Anastasiades on shared priorities in the months ahead and hope to welcome him to London at an early opportunity.

European External Action Service

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the total contribution by the UK Government in respect of the European External Action Service in each year since its creation.

David Lidington: The United Kingdom contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not to individual elements of it. The initial European External Action Service (EEAS) budget in 2011 was €464 million. €441 million of this was existing money transferred from the Commission and Council Secretariat. The EEAS budget in 2012 was €489 million and in 2013 is €509 million. Over this period, the UK's pre-abatement financing share was 14.5% (outturn) in 2011, 15.3% in 2012 and 15.5% and 2013, based on the latest budgets for those years. The UK has been clear that increases to the EEAS budget are unacceptable at a time when difficult spending decisions are being taken by member states and we continue to remind the EEAS of its commitment to resource neutrality.

Hezbollah

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the most recent statements of Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Neim Qassem, on the relationship between the military and political wings of Hezbollah.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of statements by Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Neim Qassem. It remains our assessment that, under the overall leadership of Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrallah, there is an organisational distinction to be made between Hezbollah's political and military wings.

Iran

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on Iranian production of plutonium at Arak.

Alistair Burt: Consecutive quarterly reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including their most recent report of 21 February 2013, confirm that Iran is continuing construction of the heavy water moderated research reactor at Arak, known as the IR-40 Reactor. Iran has stated that the operation of this reactor is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014. Once operational, the IR-40 would start producing plutonium in its reactor fuel. This would need subsequent reprocessing to obtain plutonium suitable for use in a weapon.
	The IAEA reports that construction of this reactor is continuing in violation of the relevant resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council, which require Iran to suspend its enrichment-related activities and its work on all heavy water related projects. It also notes that its lack of up-to-date information on the facility “is having an adverse impact on the Agency's ability to effectively verify the design of the facility and to implement an effective safeguards approach”.
	The Government remains very concerned by Iran's continuing breaches of IAEA Board and UN Security Council Resolutions. The onus is firmly on Iran to take concrete steps to co-operate fully with the agency and to comply with all its international obligations.

Jordan

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the UK started (a) directly supporting and (b) funding the training of Syrian opposition forces in Jordan.

William Hague: The UK has not undertaken any training of Syrian opposition forces in Jordan.

Jordan

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government is considering to assist Jordan in its humanitarian crisis.

Alistair Burt: Jordan has been extremely generous in hosting over 360,000 registered refugees from Syria. The UK is firmly committed to supporting Jordan, aware of the significant burden the ever growing number of refugees is placing on the country and on host communities.
	The UK has provided over £28 million of support for refugees and host communities in Jordan. This funding is providing food for over 12,000 people per month, as well as clean drinking water for over 5,000 refugees. The UK has also ensured that 20,000 child refugees have benefitted from support including psycho-social counselling. We continue to consider what more we can do.

Middle East

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of Hamas rocket fire into Israel.

Alistair Burt: I received reports from our embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem about rockets being fired on 26 February from Gaza into Israel, for the first time since the ceasefire agreement was reached on 21 November 2012. I released a statement on 27 February condemning the rocket fire and calling on both parties to respect in full their obligations under the ceasefire agreement.

Nepal

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with Nepal; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We value our close ties with Nepal, based on 200 years of friendship and in particular our long standing connection through the Gurkha Brigade and our position as Nepal's largest bilateral development donor. The UK continues to play an active role in supporting democracy and the protection of fundamental rights in Nepal. The creation of an interim election council to hold elections in the country is a welcome step, as long as they are free, fair and credible. The UK will continue to support efforts to conclude the peace process, including the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that complies with international law. These are the best ways that the UK can support Nepal in its effort to create the foundations for lasting stability and prosperity.

Palestinians

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of arms smuggling into Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We have not made any recent independent assessment on the extent of arms smuggling into Gaza. We are concerned by unconfirmed reports that armed groups in Gaza are seeking to resupply following the November ceasefire. We are also aware of Egyptian efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza. We are urging all sides to take advantage of talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt, to resolve the issues of arms smuggling and of the Israeli restrictions on Gaza.

South Africa

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his South African counterpart recent reports that more than a quarter of schoolgirls in that country are HIV positive; and what steps can be taken to significantly reduce that figure.

Mark Simmonds: The Government of South Africa has—together with international partners—undertaken interventions to address the problem of HIV/AIDS which can have such a devastating impact on those infected. Programmes have specifically included empowerment of girls and South Africa now has the largest anti-retroviral programme in the world. The Department for International Development has been active for a number of years in funding interventions designed to change behaviour. A new programme has been agreed to fund operational research on how best to prevent adolescent HIV infection in the region which has some of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. This programme will operate in several countries in southern Africa and aims to elicit better evidence about the most efficacious and cost-effective methods of limiting the spread of HIV in these adolescents.

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which organisations provided submissions to the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in its consultation conducted between October and November 2012 on marine protected areas.

Mark Simmonds: In relation to the Marine Protected Areas consultation that was conducted between October and November last year, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands received responses from the following organisations: Sandford Ltd, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Birdlife International, British Antarctic Survey, Marine Reserves Coalition. World Wildlife Fund, Fauna and Flora International, Argos, Beauchene Fishing, Polar Ltd, Fortuna Limited, Aker Biomarine Antarctic AS, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to assess whether the Syrian opposition groups being trained with UK support are using such training only in the protection of civilians.

William Hague: The training we have provided to date has focused on improving awareness of human rights and international humanitarian law, including in the law of armed conflict and developing media skills. Such training is designed to enhance the protection of civilians. We maintain close contact with the Syrian National Coalition to ensure that the recipients of our training treat the protection of civilians with the utmost seriousness. This is also reflected in the selection process to identify the recipients prior to any training taking place.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 6 March 2013, Official Report, columns 961-4, on Syria, who will be providing the training of opposition forces in Syria; whether British troops will be involved in such training; where such training will take place; and what eligibility criteria groups must meet to be able to take part in such training.

William Hague: We will be providing training by international non-governmental experts on the Law of Armed Conflict and appropriate conduct. British forces will not be involved. The training will take place in the Middle Eastern region but outside Syria. This training will be carried out in close coordination with the Syrian National Coalition with whom we work closely to ensure that the recipients of the training are legitimate members of the opposition.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 6 March 2013, OfficialReport, columns 961-4, on Syria, whether UK nationals will (a) oversee and (b) be involved in delivery of the training of opposition forces in Syria.

William Hague: In order to deliver this important training we are working through tried and tested training providers, including those based abroad which employ UK nationals who will both oversee and be involved in the training we are funding. We take great care to ensure that the training providers we select to work with meet the highest standards of professionalism and are able to deliver training appropriate to the needs of the Syrian opposition, as identified through our discussions with the Syrian National Coalition, with the clear aim of protecting civilian lives. No training is taking place inside Syria.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not use the prefix 0870. The FCO uses either geographic numbers (numbers beginning with 01 or 02) or UK wide geographic numbers (03 number) for the following customer services:
	Consular Assistance (020 7008 1500)
	FCO Legalisation Office (03700 00 22 44)
	Births, marriages and deaths enquiries (03700 00 22 44)
	FCO Switchboard, including the FCO Global Response Centre (020 7008 1500).

Tunisia

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support democratic presidential elections in Tunisia.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the formation of a new coalition Government in Tunisia in a statement on 13 March. Tunisia's post-revolutionary political system, including the nature of the presidential-parliamentary relationship, continues to evolve and the new Government has committed to holding elections by the end of 2013.
	In the meantime, we continue to watch closely and provide support to Tunisia's democratisation process. We are working through our Arab Partnership programme, the EU and with international financial institutions and our G8 presidency to support political reforms and to help the Tunisian Government tackle the major economic and security challenges it faces.
	In 2011-12 the British embassy in Tunis funded over £1 million of projects in Tunisia through the programme providing support to the political transition through capacity building for political parties, voter education and media reform as well as vocational training and microcredit lending. In the financial year 2012-13 this has tripled to around £3 million. Through our projects with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and a local non-governmental organisation we are helping strengthen political parties and the role of democratic institutions. We also have local projects working to strengthen the monitoring and management of elections. And during my visit to Tunis in December, I saw first-hand our support to media reform that is helping turn the National Television organisation into a public service broadcaster.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business Names

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from chambers of commerce in respect of his Department's consultation on company and business names.

Jo Swinson: The company and business names consultation is running from 27 February to 22 May 2013.
	The Department has received letters from chambers across the UK, including Northamptonshire Chamber, and has today received the formal response of the BCC.
	Officials are happy to meet with any representatives of the BCC, or any other organisations affected by this consultation, and I confirm that an invitation to discuss this issue has been extended to the Director General of the BCC.

Business: Government Assistance

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of the Enterprise Guarantee Scheme on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills appointed independent researchers from the Durham Business School to conduct an economic evaluation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme (EFG).
	The research published in February, shows that EFG is successful in helping credit constrained small and medium size enterprises obtain finance. The key findings are that:
	Since May 2010 over 10,700 businesses have been offered loans with a total value of £1.1 billion.
	83% of all EFG loans are finance additional (i.e. there were no alternative sources of funding available) indicating the scheme is well targeted.
	Overall EFG has benefited the economy by over £1.1 billion (net of costs) over the first years of operation.
	Businesses in receipt of EFG loans have created 6,500 additional jobs and saved 12,400 jobs.
	For every £1 it costs the Government to operate the scheme, there are economic benefits of £33.50 because EFG leverages in private sector cost.
	The full report is available on the gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enterprise-finance-guarantee-efg-scheme-economic-evaluation

Out of Town Shopping Centres: Northamptonshire

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will visit Wellingborough and Rushden to see the Skew Bridge/Rushden Lakes site.

Michael Fallon: Neither the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), nor I, have plans to visit the Skew Bridge/Rushden Lakes site.

Reliance Yacht Management

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Insolvency Service will examine the cases of Reliance Yacht Deliveries Limited and Reliance Maritime Limited to see if there are grounds for the disqualification of their director, Mr Nick Irving.

Jo Swinson: At present neither Reliance Yacht Deliveries Limited nor Reliance Maritime Limited are subject to any form of insolvency proceedings.
	The Insolvency Service has discretionary powers under the Companies Acts to conduct inquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of live companies, i.e. those not subject to formal insolvency.
	Complaints relating to the companies should be sent to:
	The Insolvency Service
	Investigations and Enforcement Services
	Intelligence Hub
	3rd Floor
	Cannon House
	18 Priory Queensway
	Birmingham
	B4 6FD
	or by email to:
	intelligence.live@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk
	I would add that for the investigation process to be effective it is essential to maintain confidentiality at all stages. Consequently, and also to acknowledge the commercial interest of companies against whom complaints are made, it is the Insolvency Service's policy not to confirm nor deny whether an investigation of a particular company is taking place.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Parades Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish the guidelines, protocols and memoranda governing the way the Parades Commission reaches decisions on notified parades.

Michael Penning: The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland is a non-departmental public body and operates independently of Government. Publication of the guidelines, protocols and memoranda governing the way the Parades Commission reaches decisions on notified parades is therefore a matter for the Commission.
	I understand that this information is available on the Parades Commission website at:
	http://www.paradescommission.org

Plants

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year from 2005 to 2010.

Michael Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	From April to December 2010, my Department spent £1,781 on indoor and outdoor plants and trees. The expenditure related primarily to the upkeep of Hillsborough Castle.

SCOTLAND

Armed Forces: Electoral Register

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish service personnel are registered to vote as a service voter.

David Mundell: As at 1 December 2012, there were 2,739 electors registered under a service declaration in Scotland. Service electors are members of HM armed forces and their spouses plus Crown servants and British Council employees and their spouses, residing abroad who have not opted to register as a civilian elector.

Armed Forces: Electoral Register

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) serving and (b) former Scottish service personnel are registered to vote in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Government actively encourages all eligible service personnel to register to vote, and to participate fully in the democratic process. However, registration is a private matter and we do not collect information on whether or not personnel are registered to vote.
	We do provide a mechanism for service men and women to record, on a voluntary basis, their registration status. Since only a proportion of personnel choose to do so, and no data is held on the place of registration, it is not possible to provide the information requested.

CABINET OFFICE

Hypothermia

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died from hypothermia in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each year for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people died from hypothermia in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each year for which figures are available. (149348)
	ONS holds electronically stored, national data on death registrations in England and Wales from 1959 onwards. Figures cannot be provided for the entire period due to disproportionate cost. To protect confidentiality, figures for local authority areas cannot be provided due to the small number of deaths. This is in line with the ONS policy on protecting confidentiality within birth and death statistics:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/best-practice/disclosure-control-policy-for-birth-and-death-statistics/index.html
	Figures have been provided for each region in England and for Wales from 2001 onwards. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision was introduced in 2001, so there are no discontinuities in how cause of death data were coded over this period.
	Table 1 as follows provides the number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold (natural or of man-made origin) or hypothermia was the underlying cause of death, for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, from 2001 to 2011 (the latest year available).
	Table 2 as follows provides the number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold (natural or of man-made origin) or hypothermia was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, from 2001 to 2011 (the latest year available).
	Please note that the death certificate does not always make it clear whether the hypothermia was due to a cold environment or directly due to another illness, especially for deaths where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate, but was not the underlying cause.
	ONS routinely measures excess mortality during the winter period in England and Wales, as it is usual for mortality during the winter months to be higher than mortality during the non-winter months. The majority of excess winter deaths are from respiratory diseases or circulatory disease, not hypothermia. This measure, known as excess winter mortality, is based on the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales are available on the ONS website:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold or hypothermia was the underlying cause of death for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, deaths registered between 2001 and2011(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 England and Wales 132 97 103 90 83 90 102 115 127 136 84 
			 England 124 87 97 83 82 86 95 108 116 122 78 
			 North East 3 6 4 5 5 7 2 7 4 8 4 
			 North West 16 8 14 11 11 12 13 16 13 12 8 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 18 12 7 12 7 8 8 11 9 19 8 
			 East Midlands 11 10 9 11 6 6 15 11 8 9 9 
			 West Midlands 17 13 11 6 11 16 17 13 26 19 7 
			 East of England 16 7 11 5 8 9 8 9 11 7 11 
			 London 14 9 15 13 11 9 14 10 13 14 10 
			 South East 18 14 16 13 9 13 11 18 24 20 15 
			 South West 11 8 10 7 14 6 7 13 8 14 6 
			 Wales 8 10 4 7 1 4 7 5 10 14 6 
			 (1) Underlying cause of death was defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes: R68.0 (Hypothermia, not associated with low environmental temperature), X31 (exposure to excessive natural cold), W93 (Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin). Deaths were included where one of these was the underlying cause of death. (2) Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html (3) Figures for regions are based on boundaries as of February 2013 and exclude non-residents. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold or hypothermia was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, deaths registered between 2001 and 2011(1,2,3,4) 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 England and Wales 373 320 343 330 331 357 332 368 435 474 318 
			 England 346 305 317 313 318 336 314 345 405 439 305 
			 North East 9 18 15 14 13 18 11 24 11 23 11 
		
	
	
		
			 North West 56 37 37 35 42 42 45 51 55 47 38 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35 34 34 38 24 26 25 29 24 35 30 
			 East Midlands 27 21 26 24 24 26 27 27 33 32 31 
			 West Midlands 48 45 39 49 42 59 55 52 81 78 49 
			 East of England 48 33 40 31 52 39 33 33 37 40 30 
			 London 31 22 32 33 45 38 41 36 47 46 40 
			 South East 59 54 61 53 43 54 54 61 84 90 45 
			 South West 33 41 33 36 33 34 23 32 33 48 31 
			 Wales 25 15 22 17 13 21 17 21 29 35 13 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes: R68.0 (Hypothermia, not associated with low environmental temperature); X31 (exposure to excessive natural cold); W93 (Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin); or T68 (Hypothermia). Deaths were included where one or more of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause of death, or as a contributory factor. For some of these deaths it was not clear from the death certificate whether the hypothermia was due to a cold environment or directly due to another illness. (2 )Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html (3) Figures for regions are based on boundaries as of February 2013 and exclude non-residents. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.

Motor Vehicles: Costs

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of average take home pay in (a) 2013 and (b) 2010 was spent by a family owning a family saloon car with average (i) miles per gallon and (ii) mileage per annum.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, asking what proportion of the average take home pay in (a) 2013 and (b) 2010 is spent by a family owning a family saloon car with an average (i) miles per gallon and (ii) mileage per annum (149283).
	ONS does not have the data required to answer your question. The Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), which is a sample survey covering approximately 5,000 households in the UK, does collect data on household income, as well as expenditure on transport, including vehicle running costs. However, no information is collected on either the types of cars owned by households or the number of miles driven.

Social Enterprises: EU Action

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of progress with implementing the EU Commission's Social Business Imitative.

Nick Hurd: We welcome the Social Business Initiative and are supportive of the European Commission's approach to improve access to finance for social enterprises, increase the visibility of social entrepreneurship and improve their legal environment.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Military Bases

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which RAF bases each fast jet squadron is located.

Andrew Robathan: RAF bases where fast jet squadrons are located, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 RAF Base Squadron Aircraft 
			 RAF Marham 9 (Bomber) Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Marham 31 Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Marham 2 (Army Cooperation) Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 12 (Bomber) Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 617 Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 15 (Reserve) Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Leuchars 6 Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Leuchars 1 (Fighter) Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Coningsby 3 (Fighter) Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Coningsby 17 (Reserve) Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Coningsby 41 (Reserve) Squadron Tornado GR4/GR4A 
			 RAF Coningsby 29 (Reserve) Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Coningsby 11 Squadron Typhoon FGR4 
			 RAF Valley 208 (Reserve) Squadron HawkT1 
			 RAF Valley 4 (Reserve) Squadron HawkT2 
			 RAF Leeming 100 Squadron HawkT1 
			 RAF Scampton Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (RAFAT) HawkT1

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Warrior infantry fighting vehicles are in service with the British Army.

Philip Dunne: The number of Warrior infantry fighting vehicles currently in service with the Army is 781.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any UK personnel or assets have been assigned to NATO Operation Active Fence.

Andrew Robathan: There is currently one UK serviceman deployed in support of Operation Active Fence.
	No assets are currently assigned to Operation Active Fence.

Nepal

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the UK's bilateral defence relationship with Nepal; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: The UK armed forces enjoy a long standing and close working relationship with Nepal, most significantly through the Brigade of Gurkhas who have a highly respected record of service within the British Army.
	Our wider Defence engagement includes the provision of specialist training, capacity building and supporting the Nepalese Army's contribution to UN peacekeeping missions.

Staff

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the thirty-second Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Ministry of Defence: Managing the defence inventory, HC 745, what steps his Department has taken to tackle the skills gaps identified in that report in respect of inventory management posts; and how many of those in post hold the appropriate qualification for their role.

Philip Dunne: Since the publication of the National Audit Office Report “Managing the Defence Inventory” in June 2012, a number of short and medium term actions are being implemented. These include: a coordinated recruitment exercise to fill critical posts within the Inventory Management function; a 25% increase in personnel mandated to undertake higher level qualifications and the appointment of a senior head of profession for all Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) inventory management personnel.
	We have also engaged Ernst and Young to identify possible improvements in inventory management across DE&S and to assist in filling short term skill gaps. Additional measures will be taken as required.
	As at 1 March 2013, 356 inventory management personnel were qualified at either the ‘practitioner’ or ‘expert’ level.

Ultra Electronics

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with Ultra Electronics Holdings plc; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) net worth is of any such contract.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence currently has 44 contracts with Ultra Electronics Holdings plc, with a total value of around £493 million. Information about the net worth of contracts is not held.

Warships

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the current value of (a) RFA Wave Knight, (b) RFA Wave Ruler, (c) RFA Gold Rover, (d) RFA Black Rover, (e) RFA Orangeleaf, (f) RFA Fort Rosalie, (g) RFA Fort Austin, (h) RFA Fort Victoria, (i) RFA Argus, (j) RFA Diligence, (k) RFA Lyme Bay, (l) RFA Mounts Bay and (m) RFA Cardigan Bay.

Philip Dunne: The current values of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels are shown in the following table. The values quoted reflect the net book value (NBV) of the asset, which is calculated by adding the cost of any major up grades to the original capital cost of the asset and deducting depreciation. Depreciation is a measure of the decrease in value of an asset over time.
	The values quoted bear no relation to the replacement costs of the assets and capabilities.
	
		
			 Name NBV (£ million) 
			 RFA Wave Knight 122 
			 RFA Wave Ruler 63 
			 RFA Gold Rover 15 
			 RFA Black Rover 16 
			 RFA Orangeleaf 10 
			 RFA Fort Rosalie 113 
			 RFA Fort Austin 22 
			 RFA Fort Victoria 105 
			 RFA Argus 59 
			 RFA Diligence 16 
			 RFA Lyme Bay 118 
			 RFA Mounts Bay 144 
			 RFA Cardigan Bay 124

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Farms: Economic Situation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK's recent downgrading from AAA credit status on farming and food production in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: There has been no separate assessment made of the effect of the recent down grading on farming and food production that was announced by Moody's credit rating agency on 22 February.
	We have no evidence that it has become more difficult for farmers to access credit compared with any other small businesses. Bank of England data on lending to agriculture has shown a rising trend in recent years. At the end of January 2013, lending was 11% higher than a year earlier.

Meat Products

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on the import of mechanically-separated meat destined for sausage meat; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will press the European Commission to review the current arrangements for producing mechanically-separated meat throughout the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) expert opinion on mechanically separated meat is expected by 31 March 2013. The Government have made it clear to the Commission that we expect discussions on the definition of mechanically separated meat to be re-opened at working group level as soon as possible once EFSA's opinion has been published.
	I have not received any recent representations on the import of mechanically separated meat destined for sausage meat.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the average transfer times of hospital vehicles using blue lights travelling from Furness General Hospital to (a) Royal Lancaster Infirmary, (b) Royal Preston Hospital and (c) Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to approach the chief executive of North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which might hold some relevant information.

Aplastic Anaemia

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there have been any cases of aplastic anaemia in the UK in the last 10 years.

Anna Soubry: The counts of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of aplastic anaemia(2) in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector from 2002-03 to 2011-12(3) were:
	
		
			  Finished Admission Episodes 
			 2002-03 11,784 
			 2003-04 11,943 
			 2004-05 13,526 
			 2005-06 14,831 
			 2006-07 14,224 
			 2007-08 15,166 
			 2008-09 16,585 
			 2009-10 18,432 
			 2010-11 20,245 
			 2011-12 21,018 
			 (1)Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis: The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. ICD-10 Code: D60.0 Chronic acquired pure red cell aplasia D60.1 Transient acquired pure red cell aplasia D60.8 Other acquired pure red cell aplasias D60.9 Acquired pure red cell aplasia, unspecified. D61.0 Constitutional aplastic aplasia D61.1 Drug-induced aplastic aplasia D61.2 Aplastic anaemia due to other external agents D61.3 Idiopathic aplastic anaemia D61.8 Other specified aplastic anaemias D61.9 Aplastic anaemia, unspecified (3)Assessing growth through time (in-patients): HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Arthritis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the information, support and advice given to people with rheumatoid arthritis about their medication to improve concordance with their treatment regime.

Norman Lamb: The clinical guideline on rheumatoid arthritis, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2009, emphasises the need for clinicians to discuss treatment options with patients and to offer written and verbal information. General advice to patients about the medications used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is available from a number of sources, including the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Arthritis Care, and the websites NHS Choices and Patient.Co.UK; and information on individual medicines is available through the Patient Information Leaflet which is given to patients when the medicine is dispensed.

Arthritis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure continuity of care across the NHS and public health and social care services for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Norman Lamb: The mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) includes an objective to drive better integration of care for everyone who needs it, including people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It is for the NHS CB to decide how precisely they will carry this out; the Government will hold them to account for the outcomes they achieve, through a new outcome measure which the Department is developing to assess service users' experience of integrated care. This will be common to the health and social care outcomes frameworks and will be reflected in the public health outcomes framework.
	Additionally, national and local bodies have been given statutory duties on integration through the Health and Social Care Act, and we are reinforcing these through the draft Care and Support Bill.
	The Department is also working with national partners to build a common understanding of what good integrated care looks like; build the case for change by drawing all the evidence together, as well as tools to support to localities, and further tackle the barriers to integration. Later this spring the Department and its partners will publish a Common Purpose Framework, setting out what each of the national partners is doing to further encourage and support integrated care.

Arthritis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of regional variations in the usage of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved treatments for rheumatoid arthritis; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Information on the usage of certain medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, by national health service hospital trusts, is available from the “Innovation scorecard” published by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care on behalf of the NHS Commissioning Board at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB09539
	Some variation in the use of individual medicines is to be expected since clinicians are free to prescribe any treatment they consider suitable for individual patients, taking account of guidance. Local NHS organisations are responsible for working with other local stakeholders to understand and address any significant local variations. NHS organizations are required to fund any treatments prescribed by a clinician if they are recommended by a NICE technology appraisal.

General Practitioners

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfilled vacancies there have been for GPs in each region in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Daniel Poulter: The last GP Vacancy Survey was undertaken in 2010. The collection of the NHS Vacancies Survey in England was suspended in 2011, following the announcement of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from national health service organisations.

Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which products each retailer has withdrawn from sale since 15 January 2013 due to concerns about horsemeat.

Anna Soubry: Products found to contain horse DNA at or above the 1% threshold and withdrawn from sale have and will continue to be named in Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports and published on the FSA website at:
	www.food.gov.uk
	as soon as the results are verified and confirmed.
	In addition to those instances where gross contamination with horsemeat has been detected, either through industry testing or otherwise, retailers have on occasion taken a commercial decision to withdraw products that may be indirectly implicated, for example, where manufactured in a plant where adulterated product has been found. The FSA does not keep a register of such withdrawals, but some retailers have listed these products on their websites.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent comparative assessment he has made of the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in the UK and other European Union countries; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 13 March 2013, Official Report, column 245W.

Medical Records: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of establishing an integrated medical and social care record system for every child in England.

Daniel Poulter: The Government's information strategy for health and care in England—‘The power of information’ set clear direction, ambition and next steps for how better use of technology and information can and must improve health, public health and social care services in adult and children's services in England. Central to this strategy is the need for both users and those professionals is the need to link up our health and care records across services.
	The strategy made a commitment that patient data, in publicly funded health and social care, should be identified by the NHS number as the primary identifier at the point of care by 2015. Local authorities are committed to working towards much better integration of our health and care information and the consistent use of NHS numbers.

Medicine: Overseas Students

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with UK medical schools on the proportion of foreign students that are offered places relative to UK students; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Currently there is agreement that the total number of non-European economic area students at UK medical schools should be a maximum of 7.5% of the total in each cohort. The number of medical students, and proportion admitted from overseas, is kept under regular review.

NHS: Reorganisation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the names are of all reports which were commissioned for the NHS Next Stages Review;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department was of commissioning the reports, published in 2008, entitled (a) Quality Oversight in England, by Joint Commission International, (b) Achieving the Vision of Excellence in Quality, by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and (c) Developing, Disseminating and Assessing Standards in the National Health Service by RAND.

Anna Soubry: The payments were (in US dollars):
	“Quality Oversight in England, by Joint Commission International”, $319,000;
	“Achieving the Vision of Excellence in Quality”, by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, $162,500; and
	“Developing, Disseminating and Assessing Standards in the National Health Service”, by RAND Corporation, $170,000.
	We do not hold a list of reports commissioned for the review. The review was an extensive exercise that drew on a wide range of evidence, details of which were set out in the Department's and the strategic health authorities' interim and final reports, all of which are available through the Department's website (using the search terms “Next Stage Review” and “Strategic Health Authorities' visions for better healthcare”). It is not clear which other reports or studies, if any, were commissioned specifically for the review.

NHS: Reorganisation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of (a) establishing clinical commissioning groups, (b) closing primary care trusts and (c) closing the strategic health authority in London; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: As set out in the written ministerial statement issued on 18 October 2012, Official Report, columns 35-36WS, the Department's current estimate of the costs of implementing the reforms is £1.5 billion to £1.6 billion in 2010-11 prices. This is equivalent to £1.6 billion to £1.7 billion in cash terms. Within this range, around £550 million is attributable to the establishment of clinical commissioning groups and £750 million to the closure of strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs). However firmer figures will be available when the Department's report and accounts for 2012-13 are published.
	We are not able to provide the costs of closing down an individual SHA or PCT as these costs continue to be reported and validated.

Opiates

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence-based guidance and information his Department has provided to prescribers on the use of medicines for opioid substitution therapy with a recovery orientated outcome goal, in line with the Government's drug strategy.

Anna Soubry: Advice to prescribers on how opioid substitution treatment can be used to promote recovery from dependence is contained in three key documents: ‘Medications in Recovery: reorientating drug treatment’, published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in 2012; ‘UK guidelines on clinical management of drug misuse and dependence’, published by the four UK Health Departments in 2007; and ‘Methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence’, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2007.

Suicide

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on suicide prevention in each year since 2010.

Norman Lamb: Information is not collected centrally in this format.
	However the National Institute for Health Research is funding a five-year programme grant on suicide prevention which has a total value of £1.8 million. The programme started in April 2012. Additionally the suicide prevention strategy is backed by up to £1.5 million funding for suicide prevention research, through the Department's Policy Research Programme. We will know what awards have been made in spring 2013.
	Through the Health Quality Improvement Partnership, the Department funds the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness by up to £2 million. This inquiry collects and analyses detailed clinical information on all suicides and homicides committed by someone with mental illness and sudden and unexplained deaths of psychiatric in-patients. It makes recommendations for improvements in the light of its analyses.
	The Department made a grant of £17,328 to Samaritans in 2011-12 for the Suicide Prevention Call to Action which unites 50 national organisations from across the public, private and voluntary sectors in England taking action so that fewer lives are lost to suicide and people bereaved or affected by a suicide receive the right support.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's customer service lines do not use 0870 numbers. The Department's Public Enquiries Unit, which is based in London, uses a local dialling code.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of alcohol consumption in the UK since 2004 and the role of the Government's Alcohol Strategy; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Damian Green: There are several long running surveys which measure levels of alcohol consumption in Great Britain, including the General Lifestyle survey (formerly the General Household survey) and the Health survey for England. These provide the most up to date information and assessment of patterns of consumption in the UK. Both surveys are National Statistics and findings are published on the Office for National Statistics website. The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published in March 2012, sets out a range of action to tackle the harms caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

Confiscation Orders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many confiscation orders were (a) issued and (b) successfully enforced under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since that Act came into force; and what the value of assets confiscated under that Act is for each year since 2002.

Damian Green: holding answer 5 March 2013
	Figures from the Joint Asset Recovery Database are as follows:
	
		
			 Confiscation Orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 
			  Orders issued Orders completed Value of orders completed (£) 
			 2002 5 5 24,186.53 
			 2003 74 68 779,919.45 
			 2004 1,159 1,064 9,319,757.83 
			 2005 2,651 2,388 24,663,043.10 
			 2006 3,324 2,938 39,307,987.78 
		
	
	
		
			 2007 4,109 3,609 50,610,047.24 
			 2008 5,147 4,455 64,007,503.18 
			 2009 5,169 4,423 59,680,928.19 
			 2010 5,880 4,880 70,486,781.89 
			 2011 5,971 4,731 66,164,921.05 
			 2012 (up to 31 March 2012) 1,582 1,170 11,299,674.00 
			 Total 35,071 29,731 396,344,750.24

DNA: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) physical DNA profiles and (b) digital DNA profiles have been removed from the DNA database since the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; and what the total cost to the public purse was of removing such profiles.

James Brokenshire: Physical DNA samples taken from arrested persons are sent to authorised Forensic Service Providers (FSPs), who process them to produce digital DNA profiles, which are added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD). As at 19 March 2013, FSPs had destroyed 453,000 DNA samples, and the NDNAD had destroyed 504,000 digital DNA profiles, as part of the programme of work to implement the Protection of Freedoms Act. The costs of sample destruction have not yet been determined. The costs of profile destruction cannot be disaggregated from the other costs of operating the NDNAD.

Indigo Public Affairs

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers, (c) officials and (d) special political advisers of her Department have had with Indigo Public Affairs Ltd; and if she will publish full details of any such meetings.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 19 March 2013
	Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website.

Licensed Premises

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the proposed withdrawal of the requirement to publish alcohol licence notices in local newspapers on households without internet access;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the potential effects of the proposed withdrawal of the requirement to publish alcohol licence notices in local newspapers;

Damian Green: The Government's consultation on key measures in the Alcohol Strategy ran from 28 November to 6 February 2013. This included a proposal to remove the requirement for applicants to publish details of licensing applications in local newspapers. The Home Office published a consultation stage impact assessment on the proposal which set out its assessment of potential effects. The Home Office also sought views from across Government prior to the launch of the consultation. The Government will consider all views and respond in due course.

Odgers Berndtson

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the purpose was of her meeting with Odgers Berndtson in September 2012.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 March 2013
	Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as well as making overseas trips, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings and trips are published on the Cabinet Office website.

Police: Greater London

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 6 March 2013, Official Report, columns 956-7, on police officers, how the figure of 3,418 neighbourhood police officers in London was arrived at; and whether she is satisfied that the figure is in conformity with information supplied to the hon. Member for Harrow West in response to his recent requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Damian Green: holding answer 18 March 2013
	The figure of 3,418 relates to the number of police officers within the neighbourhood policing function as at 31 March 2012 within the Metropolitan Police Service.

Sexual Offences: Southwark

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charges for sexual offences were brought in the London borough of Southwark in each year from 2007 to 2012.

Damian Green: holding answer 4 March 2013
	The Home Office holds data on how many recorded offences are dealt with by charge or summons. These data are based on the number of offences recorded rather than the number of people charged or summonsed. The data are given in the table.
	
		
			 Table A—Number of charges or summons for sexual offences brought in London borough of Southwark, 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			 Southwark Number of charges or summons for sexual offences 
			 2007-08 66 
			 2008-09 105 
			 2009-10 104 
			 2010-11 107 
			 2011-12 99

Sovereignty: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the Scottish Government on (a) passports and (b) dual citizenship with the UK in the event of Scottish independence.

Mark Harper: holding answer 20 March 2013
	No representations have been received from the Scottish Government on (a) passports or (b) dual citizenship with the UK in the event of Scottish independence.

Termination of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The information is as follows:
	(a) Table l shows the number of paid civil servants who left the Home Department in the last four full financial years, together with reason for leaving. Information for the 2007-08 financial year has not been provided as it would incur a disproportionate cost.
	(b) Table 2 shows the number of employees who have left each of the non-departmental public bodies in the last five full financial years, together with reason for leaving.
	Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of civil servants who left the Home Department, together with reason for leaving: 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12(1) 
			 Reason for leaving 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 (i) Resignation 698 728 593 370 
			 (it) Retirement 217 482 771 159 
			 (iii) Redundancy 0 0 0 (2)0 
			 (iv) Transfer Out 380 396 135 193 
			 (v) Other 393 291 660 (2)1,827 
			 (1) Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013. (2) In line with ONS guidelines this category includes all other leaving reasons, including those from (iii) above, where the NDPBs (in the timescales allowed for this response) have not provided information that allowed for the differentiation of voluntary or compulsory terms for individual departures. Extract dates: 1 April 2009 (2008-09); 1 April 2010 (2009-10); 1 April 2011 (2010-11); 1 April 2012 (2011 -12). Source: Data for the Home Office have been taken from Data View, the Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics (ONS) compliant monthly corporate HR data. Periods covered: Data are provided as at 31 March for each financial year and include all paid civil servants who left during the financial year. Organisational coverage: Figures include Home Office Headquarters (including Border Force and the Government Equalities Office) and the Department's executive agencies (UK Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), National Fraud Authority (NFA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). During each of the financial years there were a number of machinery of government changes including: 1 March 2009: General Register Office joined IPS. 1 April 2010: Home Office Pensions left headquarters and joined the Department for Work and Pensions; HM Revenue and Customs detection employees joined UKBA. 1 May 2010: Foreign and Commonwealth employees joined UKBA. 1 April 2011: Government Equalities Office (GEO) joined headquarters; NFA joined as an executive agency and Home Office Pay Service left to join the Ministry of Justice. Employee coverage: Figures include paid civil servants. Machinery of government changes are not included in the ‘Transfer Out’ reason for leaving, as ‘Transfer Out’ refers to individuals only and not Transfers of Function. The latter are included in the relevant departmental report. Transparency agenda considerations: Consistent with Office for National Statistics reporting standards. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of civil servants who left the Home Office NDPBs, together with reason for leaving: 2007-08; 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; and 2011-12(1) 
			 Reason for leaving 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 (i) Resignation 140 201 91 108 99 
			 (ii) Retirement 24 39 62 73 74 
			 (iii) Redundancy 0 1 0 18 27 
			 (iv) Transfer Out 0 13 4 2 1 
			 (v) Other 6 20 31 52 76 
			 (1 )Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013. Organisational coverage: This response includes data for the Independent Safeguarding Authority, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. The Independent Safeguarding Authority was not inaugurated until September 2008 so is not included in the 2007-08 data. Although the Equality and Human Rights Commission was sponsored by the Home Office during this period, its data are included in the response for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. This response does not include data for either the Security Industry Authority or the National Policing Improvement Agency as to do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

EDUCATION

Asperger's Syndrome

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that classroom teachers are trained to understand Asperger's syndrome;
	(2)  what (a) guidance and (b) support his Department plans to give to local education authorities to ensure consistency of service provision for children and young adults with neurological disorders such as Asperger's syndrome;
	(3)  what steps the Government is taking to improve the rate of early detection of Asperger's syndrome.

Edward Timpson: New qualified teacher standards came into effect in September 2012. These have a sharpened focus on meeting the needs of children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. The Government have also strengthened initial teacher training and continuing professional development provision through the publication of additional online training materials for teachers of pupils with the most common and complex special educational needs, such as autism and Asperger's syndrome.
	The Government have provided funding to train all new school SEN coordinators so they can better advise their colleagues on how to meet children's needs. That training includes training on particular types of need, including autistic spectrum disorders. The Government have funded training for almost 10,500 SENCOs so far.
	The Government have also provided some £1.3 million funding to the Autism Education Trust over the last two years to provide training and training materials for school and other staff. The Department will be letting a contract to provide specialist support in autism provision from April. The Autism Education Trust has put in a bid which proposes to extend their existing training programme beyond March 2013, and also expand coverage more widely throughout England and to cover early years and further education.
	Asperger's syndrome is commonly diagnosed later than classic autism as children's difficulties may only become apparent when they are introduced to a social environment such as a school. The measures the Government are taking to spread training in, and understanding of, autistic spectrum disorders will help to improve the early detection of Asperger's syndrome.
	Local authorities have the same duties to meet children's special educational needs and to make special educational provision when carrying out their duty to secure that there are sufficient primary and secondary schools in their areas. The precise make up of the special educational provision local authorities make is a matter for local determination but the Department advises that local authorities should give children and parents access to a range of provision which reflects the range of children's needs.

Bullying

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff West of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on bullying, how many cases named special advisers to him in the complaint; and what the amount of any payments over £5,000 made resulting from those cases were.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 4 March 2013
	Since May 2010 there has been one grievance against the Department which a special adviser gave evidence. That complaint was not upheld.
	The details of any settlement resulting from employment grievance as confidential.

Children in Care

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children there are in each local authority in England.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 12 March 2013
	Information on the number of children looked after in each local authority in England has been placed in the House Libraries.
	The information requested is contained in Table LAA1 of the Statistical First Release ‘Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2012’. This Statistical First Release can be found on the Department's website via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00213762/children-looked-after-las-england

Children: Protection

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children are on the at-risk register for (a) England and (b) local authorities in the Tyne and Wear area.

Edward Timpson: The number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 in England and local authorities in Tyne and Wear are shown in the table.
	The latest figures on children who were the subject of a child protection plan were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 27/2012 “Characteristics of Children in Need, in England, 2011-12”, available at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00215043/
	
		
			 Number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 England and local authorities in Tyne and Wear 
			  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 Rate of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March per 10,000 children 
			 England(1) 42,900 37.8 
			    
			 Gateshead 181 45.0 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 374 69.3 
			 North Tyneside 164 40.7 
			 South Tyneside 155 52.4 
			 Sunderland 376 68.6 
			 (1) The total figures for England include estimates for missing data and are rounded to the nearest 100. Source: 2011-12 Children in Need census

Financial Services: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to promote financial budgeting and other life skills in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: On 7 February, the Department launched the consultation for the proposed new National Curriculum. This included proposals to make financial literacy statutory for the first time, as part of citizenship education. Pupils will be taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk.
	In addition, the National Curriculum for mathematics has been strengthened to give pupils from five to 16 the necessary mathematical skills that underpin sound financial literacy.
	Other life skills can be covered as part of non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. Schools are free to decide what to include in their PSHE programmes and should tailor the content of PSHE lessons to take account of the needs of their pupils.

GCE AS-level

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed establishment of AS levels as a stand-alone qualification on take-up of each subject at AS level.

Elizabeth Truss: The AS will be retained as a standalone qualification to offer breadth. It is for schools to determine the number and range of AS qualifications they offer, based on their own school's circumstances and the needs of their pupils.

Members: Correspondence

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  for what reasons the Permanent Secretary of his Department made public his reply of 13 February 2013 to the private letter from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on an investigation into possible breaches of the Civil Service Code regarding defamatory comments made against an hon. Member;
	(2)  to whom the Permanent Secretary of his Department released his letter of 13 February 2013 in response to a private letter from the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham.

Elizabeth Truss: It is a matter of public record that my hon. Friend had written to the Permanent Secretary (please refer to answer given 26 February 2013, Official Report, column 468W) and that the Permanent Secretary had been asked to look into the issues raised about a blog that appeared in the Spectator. The Department often publishes its own letters after they have been sent to recipients to set out its position on important matters, particularly where these matters are the source of public debate.

Offences Against Children

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education further to his letter to the hon. Member for Monmouth, what steps have been taken by Lord Freud to ascertain the name of the Islamic Faith School attended by Adil Rashid.

Edward Timpson: Officials have been in contact with Nottinghamshire police and Nottinghamshire Crown Prosecution Service, neither of whom was aware of the identity of the school attended by Adil Rashid. Officials have since written to the Judge who heard the case to ask for the name of the school, and are awaiting a reply.

Pre-school Education

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many applications to become an early years and childcare provider under (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Childcare Register were received in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many early years and childcare providers were removed from (a) the Early Years Register and (b) the Childcare Register in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: These are matters for Ofsted. The HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 1 March 2013
	Your recent Parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	The tables provided give the information requested.
	Ofsted does not have responsibility for registering arid inspecting childcare providers beyond England, so these data relate to England only.
	Please note that some providers are only on the Early Years Register, some are only on the Childcare Register, and some are on both registers, as indicated. In addition, some providers may resign their registration in relation to one of the registers but remain on another. For example, if they only wish to care for children aged five to seven, they may resign their registration from the Early Years Register but remain on the Childcare Register.
	Given that there are two registers, some new applicants, and some providers who resign, or whose registration has been cancelled, will be counted twice.
	The figures for cancellation include providers whose registration was cancelled because they failed to pay their annual fee as well as those who were cancelled because they no longer met the requirements of registration. The resignations and applications figures include those who have had to resign their previous registration and undergo a new one because their legal entity has changed, for example where they have changed their company name or number.
	A copy of this reply will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			 Applied for Registers 2008—Present 
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 EYR only 677 778 826 914 890 144 
			 EYR and CR 11,696 9,606 10,238 11,282 9,162 1,207 
			 CR only 6,029 4,149 5,129 5,175 4,866 754 
		
	
	
		
			 Removed from Registration 2008—Present 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			  Cancelled Resigned Cancelled Resigned Cancelled Resigned 
			 EYR only 1 148 7 389 24 586 
			 EYR and CR 991 9,977 2,480 10,505 2,489 8,536 
			 CR only 14 585 423 1,276 857 1,763 
		
	
	
		
			  2011 2012 2013 
			  Cancelled Resigned Cancelled Resigned Cancelled Resigned 
			 EYR only 16 646 26 618 2 88 
		
	
	
		
			 EYR and CR 1,511 7,959 1,908 7,630 261 1,139 
			 CR only 665 2,271 1,058 2,187 137 347

Primary Education

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to publish the primary school accountability consultation.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 11 March 2013
	We will shortly publish a consultation on assessment and accountability arrangements for primary schools under the new national curriculum.
	We will confirm the arrangements for assessment and accountability in September, alongside publication of the final national curriculum programmes of study.

School Meals

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it compulsory for schools to implement a cashless payment system for school lunches.

Elizabeth Truss: Schools and local authorities are responsible for their school meals service and how they choose to receive payment for that service. For this reason, I will not make it compulsory for schools to implement a cashless payment system for school lunches.

Schools: Sports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what research and data collection relating to (a) sport and (b) physical education his Department has (i) initiated, (ii) terminated and (iii) amended since May 2010;
	(2)  if he will place his Department's most recent evaluation of school sport partnerships in the Library;
	(3)  whether his Department has (a) carried out or (b) commissioned studies on any link between participation in sport and academic performance.

Edward Timpson: The Department's most recent evaluation of school sport was the annual PE and Sport Survey covering academic year 2009-10, which was published in September 2010. This included detailed tables of results for individual school sport partnerships. A copy of this survey has been placed in the House of Commons Library. In autumn 2010 the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced that he was removing from schools the burden of collecting information about every pupil for an annual PE and Sport Survey.
	In February 2013 Ofsted published ‘Beyond 2012—outstanding physical education for all’, its report on evidence from inspections of physical education in schools between September 2008 and July 2012.
	The Department has not commissioned or carried out any studies on the link between participation in sport and academic achievement.

Special Educational Needs

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is his policy that all young people who at present have a statement of special educational needs should be automatically transferred to an education, health and care plan when such plans are introduced.

Edward Timpson: In the 2011 Green Paper, ‘Support and Aspiration’, we proposed that children and young people who would currently have a statement of SEN or a post-16 learning difficulty assessment (LDA) should in future have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). The Children and Families Bill will ensure that eligibility for an EHC plan remains the same as it is now for a statement or LDAs. EHC plans will be built on a much stronger, streamlined assessment process which includes parents, children and young people, and focuses more clearly on their outcomes and aspirations.
	The Government is considering how to ensure that children, young people and families can benefit from EHC plans as soon as possible while still making the transition process manageable for schools, colleges, local authorities and their partners. We intend to consult on our preferred approach to transitional arrangements in the autumn.

Special Educational Needs

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the regulations to be produced under the Children and Families Bill will require the (a) teaching hours and (b) number of days education per week to be specified in education, health and care plans for post-16 provision; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 13 March 2013
	The Children and Families Bill proposes that an education, health and care plan be based on a co-ordinated assessment across a young person's full range of education, health and care support needs. We have set out more detail on the requirements for education, health and care plans in the indicative regulations and outline SEN code of practice, which were recently made available to Parliament. The outline SEN code of practice makes clear that, for those in post-16 provision, local authorities should consider the individual's needs and provide a package of education provision, support and independent study that covers five days a week where that is appropriate to meet the young person's needs. This provision will not necessarily all come from one provider. For some students, FE courses normally delivered in three days could be spread over four or five days a week to enable the young person to maximise their learning outcomes. Local authorities will need to work with FE providers in delivering this.

Special Educational Needs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that schools deliver better outcomes for pupils with special educational needs who are not entitled to an education, health and care plan.

Edward Timpson: At present the needs of pupils with SEN but without statements are addressed under the guidance on School Action and School Action Plus as set out in the current SEN code of practice. It is clear, not least from the results of the Lamb inquiry and Ofsted's 2010 report on SEN, that this system is not working well. It emphasises labelling children's need according to how appropriate support is to be provided, rather than the outcomes sought for the child and how to reach them.
	That is why we proposed in the Green Paper, ‘Support and Aspiration’ to replace the current approach with a new single early years and school-based SEN category, providing clear guidance to settings and schools on the appropriate identification of pupils with SEN. We shall develop this as part of the new SEN code of practice. The aim will be to identify needs as early as possible when they manifest and to focus on providing support to have an impact for the individual, rather than how children access support according to a category they have been fitted into.
	This will be supported by maintaining legislative duties in relation to this group of pupils which require schools to use their best endeavours to secure special educational provision, to have an SEN co-ordinator, to notify parents of such provision or to publish information on how it is implementing its policy on SEN and disability. It will also be supported by the new local offer provisions in the Children and Families Bill. The local offer has a real potential to make the specific support available locally more transparent and easier to access to the benefit of all, including for pupils without education, health and care plans.

JUSTICE

Buildings

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the (a) total floor space and (b) floor space measured in square metres per full-time equivalent post is of properties used by his Department;
	(2)  what the names and locations are of all properties used by officials of his Department; whether those properties are (a) owned by the Department, (b) leased by the Department and (c) subject to a private finance initiative agreement; when existing lease agreements relating to such properties are due to expire; and what the total floor space is of each property.

Damian Green: The information requested is as follows:
	1. (a) The total area of Ministry of Justice property is 5,668,158 square metres. This excludes building and property assets outside the secure perimeter on prison sites, judges’ lodgings, approved premises and prison officers’ quarters. (b) The floor space per full-time equivalent post as at 31 March 2011 was 15.1 square metres for Ministry of Justice administrative offices above 500m(2). The data as at 31 March 2012 are currently being validated and will be published in the State of the Estate Report 2012. Space/FTE for other parts of the estate is not collected centrally.
	2. Two tables containing the information relating to properties used by officials have been placed in the House Library. Both tables exclude building and property assets outside the secure perimeter on prison sites, judges’ lodgings, approved premises and prison officers’ quarters. Information relating to lease expiry dates cannot be released as we cannot be sure that we are breaking existing confidentiality clauses contained within lease agreements without checking each lease agreement and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Criminal Proceedings

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on (a) supporting vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, (b) separate secure waiting rooms and (c) video link and screening facilities in each year since 2001.

Helen Grant: The Department does not keep this information centrally and it could be collected only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Government is committed to ensuring witnesses who attend court are given the necessary support.
	Since the enactment of both the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and the
	Coroners and Justice Act 2009 significant investment has been made to ensure witnesses can use the special measures that the legislation introduced whenever appropriate.
	All Crown courts and over 95% of magistrates courts have separate waiting facilities for witnesses and all Crown courts and over 80% of magistrates courts have video link facilities.
	The first UK Protected Persons Service was announced in December 2012. The UK Protected Persons Service will ensure that witnesses and other vulnerable individuals whose lives are at risk receive every possible protection and support. It will do this by:
	Introducing national quality standards.
	Ensuring better co-ordination across existing fragmented services,
	Promoting intelligence sharing between police forces, and
	Strengthening local services to create a consistent and accountable service.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish a list of meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with (i) the Co-op, (ii) Eddie Stobart and (iii) any other interested parties on best value tendering in criminal legal aid since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), his predecessor, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), and departmental officials have had meetings with a wide variety of interested parties as part of the process of policy development, both in direct meetings and in the margins of other meetings. The Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data

Fines

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of people with fines approached the fines officer prior to payment of their fine in each year since 2010;
	(2)  what proportion of people who failed to pay their fines had previously approached their fines officer in each year since 2010.

Helen Grant: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have any way of identifying how many offenders have had contact with a fines officer. Some offenders will have interacted with fines officers at court houses and some over the telephone. These interactions are not recorded and would only be noted on individual fine account records if there was resulting action to be taken.
	HMCTS takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on fine defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS are always looking at ways to improve the collection of fines.

Fines: Surcharges

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much was collected in victim surcharge fines in (a) the year in which the fine was imposed and (b) the year which the fine was paid in full in each year since 2007;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people who were ordered to pay a victim surcharge fine in each year since 2007 have (a)  paid it in full, (b) paid part of it and (c) not paid any part of it;
	(3)  how much is owed in victim surcharges from (a) fines levied in 2012, (b) fines levied before 1 January 2010 and (c) since that scheme began;
	(4)  how many people were ordered to pay a victim surcharge in each year since 2007;
	(5)  what the total value of all victim surcharge fines levied was in each year since 2007;
	(6)  what proportion of people ordered to pay a victim surcharge in each year since 2007 were under 18 years old; and what proportion of such people have paid the fine in full to date. [Official Report, 25 April 2013, Vol. 561, c. 7MC.]

Helen Grant: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has collected victim surcharge totalling £41.2million since 2007. HMCTS does everything in its power to trace offenders who do not pay. This includes taking deductions from their benefits or earnings and seizing property. HMCTS is also seeking a commercial partner to help seize even more uncollected cash as part of a new crackdown on fine evaders.
	HMCTS systems cannot identify how many people have been ordered to pay victim surcharge or what the age profile etc is of those ordered to pay it and can only identify the value imposed and collected. HMCTS's performance database only identifies separate amounts imposed and collected for victim surcharge from other financial impositions for impositions and collections from April 2011 onwards. Set out in the following tables are the values of victim surcharge imposed and collected from April 2011.
	Amounts collected regardless of imposition date:
	
		
			 Amount collected in year relating to impositions from current or previous years 
			  £ 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 10,281,567 
			 April 2012 to February 2013 9,392,162 
		
	
	Amounts imposed, collected, cancelled and outstanding relating to impositions from April 2011:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Value of victim surcharge: 
			  Imposed Collected by end of February 2013 Cancelled by end of February 2013 Outstanding by end of February 2013 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 12,293,089 8,724,576 1,172,369 2,396,144 
			 April 2012 to February 2013 13,502,429 6,590,632 766,450 6,145,346 
		
	
	The above outstanding balances include money that is being paid in instalments and is not yet paid in full as well as fines that are not yet due for payment.
	The figures above are taken from the HMCTS performance database. Due to the way the reports operate it is only possible to show the data as at the end of the last calendar month.
	The figures above are taken from the HMCTS Libra Management Information System.

Overtime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of overtime payments in each pay grade in (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm's length bodies in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 to date.

Damian Green: The information is as follows:
	(a) The average salary cost per member of staff within the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) for the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is set out in the table.
	The average salary costs include salary, allowances, employer pension and national insurance contributions.
	
		
			 Financial year Average salary costs (£) 
			 2010-11 34,918 
			 2011-12 34,352 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 26,159 
		
	
	The average salary cost for 2012-13 available covers a nine month period only.
	(b) The total cost of overtime in the Ministry of Justice has been reducing throughout 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 (April 2012 to February 2013). The amount paid out is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost of overtime (£) 
			 2010-11 66,696,049 
			 2011-12 61,648,324 
			 2012-13 (to 28 February 2013) (1)53,134,696 
			 (1) Calculations include Ministry of Justice HQ, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and excludes the Office of the Public Guardian. 
		
	
	The Department's arm’s lengths bodies have both civil servants and public appointees. They do not all receive payment through the Department's payroll. Therefore overtime information is not held centrally for arm’s lengths bodies. It has been requested and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Damian Green: The amount of money paid to officials in the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice headquarters, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian) in performance related payments is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost of in-year/end-year non-consolidated(1) performance-related payments (£) Total number of staff Total monetary amount of 20 largest payments (£) 
			 2007-08 7,187,644 16,266 306,000 
			 2008-09 6,002,084 10,925 216,000 
			 2009-10 7,899,130 15,486 200,000 
			 2010-11 6,201,581 14,097 198,500 
			 2011-12 5,311,421 11,203 182,500 
			 (1) A single payment which does not form part of basic pay or pension. 
		
	
	Full information on the non-consolidated payments awarded for the 2010-11 performance year is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data/ncprp
	The total cost of overtime paid to officials in the Ministry of Justice (National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian) for the years requested is not yet centrally available. It is being collected and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Information on the number of officials who are subject to overtime payments and the monetary value of the 20 largest payments is not available as the rates paid are based on individual FTE salaries and contractual hours.
	None of the information requested is centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Damian Green: The allowances available to officials in the Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian are set out in the ‘Deal' terms and conditions. These allowances came into effect when the ‘Deal' was implemented in 2007. It does not apply to officials working in the National Offender Management Service.
	This list does not include some allowances which staff on legacy (non Deal) terms and conditions may still be receiving.
	Temporary Responsibility Allowance
	Responsibility Allowance
	Night Duty Allowance
	Extra Duty Allowance
	Extended Working Hours Allowance
	Split Attendance Allowance
	Shift Disturbance Allowance
	Trainee Accountancy Allowance (lower and higher levels)
	Fully Qualified Accountancy Allowance
	Audit Allowance (three levels)
	Procurement Allowance (two levels)
	Health and Safety and Business Continuity Allowance
	Band D Court Manager or Tribunal Centre Manager Allowance
	Private Secretary Allowance (varying allowances according to Band and role)
	Judges Lodgings Driving Allowance
	Urgent Court Business On-call Allowance
	Welsh Language Allowance
	The following allowances are linked to the Ministry of Justice's Travel and Subsistence and Excess Fares Policies:
	High Mileage Allowance
	Lodging Allowance
	Rent Allowance
	Retention of Room Allowance
	Personal Incidental Expenditure Allowance
	Excess Fares Allowance
	Additional Housing Cost Allowance
	The monetary value of allowances paid by the Ministry of Justice (including HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian but excluding National Offender Management Service) for the years requested is not yet centrally available. It is being collected and will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The main categories of payment made in addition to basic salary to officials in National Offender Management Service are location pay, additional hours, unsocial hours, job related pay and qualification payments. The monetary value of allowances paid by the National Offender Management Service (rounded to the nearest million) for the last five years is set out as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 57 
			 2008-09 61 
			 2009-10 60 
			 2010-11 57 
			 2011-12 61 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and Office of the Public Guardian) currently makes a limited number of subsidised places at a school holiday scheme located at a number of sites around Westminster. Employees using the scheme are billed by the playscheme for the full amount less a 50% subsidy, paid direct by MOJ. This subsidy is currently £16.50 per child per day. MOJ employees including NOMS have access to a salary sacrifice scheme for child care vouchers. A small number of MOJ staff on legacy terms and conditions are additionally eligible for employer paid child care vouchers, I am unable to provide you with the monetary value of this subsidy for the last five years.
	None of the information requested is centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Personal Taxation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department gives to chairs of its national arm's length bodies and regional public bodies on claiming exemption from personal tax.

Damian Green: Standard terms and conditions for chairs of public bodies refer to remuneration being subject to tax and national insurance contributions.

Police Cautions: Young People

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reasons were for each police arrest and caution given to those under the age of 18 since May 2005.

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	In respect of the information, requested on arrests, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 28 January 2013, Official Report, columns 541-46W. In respect of the information requested on cautions, the information is set out in the following table, broken down by offence category and year.
	
		
			 Juvenile(1) offenders cautioned(2, 3) by offence type in each month for all offences (excluding motoring), 2005 to 2011 
			  All offences (excluding motoring) 
			  Month 
			 Offence group Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 
			 2005              
			 Violence Against Person 1,191 1,206 1,383 1,309 1,427 1,478 1,559 1,377 1,319 1,436 1,505 1,331 16,521 
			 Sexual Offences 53 43 26 37 49 56 68 63 68 41 52 46 602 
			 Burglary 308 283 372 416 403 491 448 422 405 351 351 314 4,564 
			 Robbery 31 31 49 29 44 50 62 47 31 32 55 43 504 
			 Theft and Handling 2,847 2,749 3,255 3,179 3,090 3,168 2,976 3,054 2,756 3,293 3,264 3,187 36,818 
			 Fraud and Forgery 107 102 86 102 86 88 58 94 81 80 98 100 1,082 
			 Criminal Damage 254 291 270 334 305 360 374 336 301 369 367 325 3,886 
			 Drug Offences 634 625 725 603 672 672 671 617 605 684 688 613 7,809 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 105 121 126 133 148 154 134 172 120 146 119 151 1,629 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 3,324 3,375 3,713 3,989 4,072 4,305 4,055 3,805 3,547 3,916 3,911 3,448 45,460 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 8,854 8,826 10,005 10,131 10,296 10,822 10,405 9,987 9,233 10,348 10,410 9,558 118,875 
		
	
	
		
			               
			 2006              
			 Violence Against Person 1,406 1,447 1,648 1,480 1,424 1,391 1,373 1,238 1,151 1,381 1,454 1,169 16,562 
			 Sexual Offences 49 39 63 48 58 79 40 63 48 48 45 50 630 
			 Burglary 389 367 370 399 436 486 445 480 437 452 388 329 4,978 
			 Robbery 44 61 54 37 56 82 62 39 31 40 48 37 591 
			 Theft and Handling 2,975 3,011 3,268 3,237 3,194 3,304 3,142 3,325 2,883 3,637 3,859 3,563 39,398 
			 Fraud and Forgery 113 106 130 97 111 146 75 82 84 86 129 104 1,263 
			 Criminal Damage 378 347 422 373 455 421 405 409 366 373 391 348 4,688 
			 Drug Offences 618 591 708 592 687 630 630 516 478 510 587 519 7,066 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 113 129 171 187 187 151 150 164 153 191 192 141 1,929 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 3,856 3,839 4,380 4,328 4,522 4,699 4,424 4,224 4,149 4,847 4,638 4,050 51,956 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 9,941 9,937 11,214 10,778 11,130 11,389 10,746 10,540 9,780 11,565 11,731 10,310 129,061 
			               
			 2007              
			 Violence Against Person 1,296 1,284 1,351 1,232 1,321 1,227 1,231 1,032 968 1,102 1,021 844 13,909 
			 Sexual Offences 53 38 73 65 53 41 70 57 46 64 48 47 655 
			 Burglary 364 354 435 405 403 409 452 426 357 331 302 237 4,475 
			 Robbery 44 39 59 47 41 34 54 49 49 24 47 32 519 
			 Theft and Handling 3,301 3,207 3,844 3,550 3,769 3,672 3,941 3,392 2,714 2,895 2,784 2,634 39,703 
			 Fraud and Forgery 141 101 150 145 147 123 124 98 96 83 83 87 1,378 
			 Criminal Damage 447 366 381 424 409 394 415 387 349 301 350 279 4,502 
			 Drug Offences 572 548 682 575 728 725 785 636 613 767 790 661 8,082 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 186 154 204 182 162 139 231 169 155 149 136 115 1,982 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 4,639 4,214 5,164 4,468 4,836 4,585 4,708 4,295 3,745 4,234 4,001 3,232 52,121 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 11,043 10,305 12,343 11,093 11,869 11,349 12,011 10,541 9,092 9,950 9,562 8,168 127,326 
			               
			 2008              
			 Violence Against Person 903 939 904 889 822 867 908 665 613 746 606 542 9,404 
			 Sexual Offences 53 53 47 40 44 52 58 37 35 39 43 33 534 
			 Burglary 273 246 312 296 272 304 357 286 258 252 191 141 3,188 
			 Robbery 41 39 34 36 29 27 35 19 10 12 28 15 325 
			 Theft and Handling 2,392 2,673 2,764 2,884 2,595 2,578 2,745 2,269 2,236 2,456 2,279 2,195 30,066 
		
	
	
		
			 Fraud and Forgery 82 100 112 119 84 111 112 83 111 87 78 73 1,152 
			 Criminal Damage 292 298 346 352 284 352 335 295 242 278 232 190 3,496 
			 Drug Offences 666 688 744 695 721 751 850 645 623 755 688 655 8,481 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 133 158 161 131 149 150 170 143 116 123 88 98 1,620 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 3,660 3,685 3,825 3,816 3,766 3,585 3,571 2,958 2,838 3,143 2,750 2,312 39,909 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 8,495 8,879 9,249 9,258 8,766 8,777 9,141 7,400 7,082 7,891 6,983 6,254 98,175 
			               
			 2009              
			 Violence Against Person 544 603 793 590 642 629 626 503 463 549 437 434 6,813 
			 Sexual Offences 34 20 43 33 32 48 47 34 34 31 30 27 413 
			 Burglary 204 206 230 232 205 235 247 234 232 193 164 138 2,520 
			 Robbery 22 10 26 15 13 15 14 9 11 8 8 22 173 
			 Theft and Handling 2,131 2,619 2,781 2,606 2,554 2,462 2,430 2,155 1,790 1,893 1,602 1,537 26,560 
			 Fraud and Forgery 67 72 86 79 67 77 60 66 65 63 58 62 822 
			 Criminal Damage 216 222 199 207 191 250 257 179 186 175 172 129 2,383 
			 Drug Offences 602 627 722 619 625 703 693 672 517 600 632 478 7,490 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 91 112 143 133 117 127 119 89 104 96 87 69 1,287 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 2,519 2,792 3,368 2,705 2,609 2,727 2,750 2,402 2,338 2,125 2,088 1,795 30,218 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 6,430 7,283 8,391 7,219 7,055 7,273 7,243 6,343 5,740 5,733 5,278 4,691 78,679 
			 2010              
			 Violence Against Person 383 390 492 437 444 440 479 356 403 429 400 282 4,935 
			 Sexual Offences 31 21 41 29 37 42 37 41 37 31 45 27 419 
			 Burglary 126 121 157 143 150 189 191 160 191 146 139 95 1,808 
			 Robbery 6 2 21 17 20 27 20 12 14 12 16 10 177 
			 Theft and Handling 1,349 1,343 1,651 1,485 1,395 1,330 1,437 1,271 1,166 1,121 1,134 962 15,644 
			 Fraud and Forgery 39 49 63 51 45 51 39 52 57 50 31 24 551 
			 Criminal Damage 122 136 128 149 178 147 154 146 127 143 133 92 1,655 
			 Drug Offences 492 549 625 498 566 541 584 490 479 526 471 358 6,179 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 98 93 117 93 81 77 80 88 83 75 87 66 1,038 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 1,705 1,777 2,032 1,911 1,721 1,985 1,833 1,559 1,541 1,676 1,625 1,218 20,583 
		
	
	
		
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 4,351 4,481 5,327 4,813 4,637 4,829 4,854 4,175 4,098 4,209 4,081 3,134 52,989 
			               
			 2011              
			 Violence Against Person 325 328 382 320 352 359 338 317 229 266 255 219 3,690 
			 Sexual Offences 22 29 40 30 36 39 42 48 32 35 35 27 415 
			 Burglary 113 106 134 118 140 166 164 148 165 140 126 89 1,609 
			 Robbery 12 26 34 28 29 20 18 13 25 20 14 9 248 
			 Theft and Handling 1,028 931 979 1,009 1,119 1,055 1,059 957 854 910 784 753 11,438 
			 Fraud and Forgery 33 43 39 33 37 32 32 33 27 49 33 32 423 
			 Criminal Damage 119 126 133 112 160 163 169 167 113 135 109 101 1,607 
			 Drug Offences 468 510 581 473 537 535 542 485 424 470 489 435 5,949 
			 Other Indictable (Not Motoring) 62 73 94 69 74 76 85 67 60 64 52 42 818 
			 Summary Non-Motoring 1,629 1,534 1,681 1,602 1,522 1,659 1,666 1,491 1,386 1,372 1,383 1,110 18,035 
			 All offences (excluding motoring) 3,811 3,706 4,097 3,794 4,006 4,104 4,115 3,726 3,315 3,461 3,280 2,817 44,232 
			 (1) Defined as being aged 10-17. (2 )The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3 )From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings, which is what is presented in this table. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice

Richard III

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedure was followed when deciding to allow burial of the remains of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral; what consideration was given to the wishes of his collateral descendants in the process; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The university of Leicester was granted a licence to exhume buried remains which could have been those of King Richard III. The licence includes conditions on where the remains should be reinterred but it is for Leicester university, as the licensee, to determine where the remains should be laid to rest. The licence application was treated in the same way as other applications to exhume buried remains for archaeological purposes. There is no requirement for the Ministry of Justice to notify anyone on receiving an archaeological exhumation request unless next of kin are involved.

Sick Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies has lost to staff sickness in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such absence in each year.

Damian Green: The number of days lost in the Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice Headquarters, National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian) owing to staff sick absence is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of days lost to staff sickness within the Ministry of Justice as at 30 September 2012 
			  Total days 
			 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008(1) 779,776 
			 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009(1) 721,367 
			 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010(1) 706,477 
			 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 648,850 
			 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 636,692 
			 (1) The period covering 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 includes the Scotland and Wales Offices when they formed part of the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	The estimated cost to the Ministry of Justice for the days lost in each of these periods is in the following table.
	
		
			 Estimated salary cost due to staff sickness within the Ministry of Justice as at 30 September 2012 
			  Estimated cost (£ million) 
			 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008(1) 99.0 
			 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009(1) 89.3 
			 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010(1) 92.1 
			 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 91.9 
			 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 88.3 
			 (1) The period covering 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 includes the Scotland and Wales Offices when they formed part of the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	While a large proportion of staff absence is in the Prison Service, the challenges faced by prison staff do not bear direct comparison with the working conditions of most civil servants. They perform a difficult, physical and sometimes dangerous job.
	This information is not centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Sick Leave

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have had (i) fewer than five days, (ii) five to 10 days, (iii) 10 to 15 days, (iv) 15 to 20 days, (v) 20 to 25 days, (vi) 25 to 50 days, (vii) 50 to 75 days, (viii) 75 to 100 days, (ix) 100 to 150 days, (x) 150 to 200 days, (xi) more than 200 days, (xii) more than three months, (xiii) more than six months and (xiv) more than one year on paid sick leave (A) consecutively and (B) in total in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice (Ministry of Justice Headquarters, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and Office of the Public Guardian) is unable to provide the data requested. Sickness absence data is collated centrally to provide management information. However it is not broken down by the categories requested. Gathering the data requested would require analysing each notification of sickness absence sent in by managers across MOJ. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	It is possible to provide the total number of people who have taken any sick leave over the given period and the number of short and long-term sick absence days. Short-term absences are absences which are less than 21 working days or 29 calendar days. Long-term absences are all absences which are 21 working days or 29 calendar days or more. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Ministry of Justice (MOJ HQ, HMCTS, NOMS and OPG) 
			  Total number of staff who have taken any sick absence Total number of short-term absence days Total number of long-term absence days Total sick absence days 
			 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008(1) 51,334 313,940 465,836 779,776 
			 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009(1) 49,455 311,362 410,005 721,367 
			 1 October 2009 to 30 September 2010(1) 47,995 287,714 418,763 706,477 
			 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011 44,810 257,867 390,983 648,850 
			 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2012 42,243 238,358 398,334 636,692 
			 (1 )The period covering 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 includes the Scotland and Wales Offices when they formed part of the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	While a large proportion of staff absence is in the Prison Service, the challenges faced by prison staff do not bear direct comparison with the working conditions of most civil servants. They perform a difficult, physical and sometimes dangerous job.
	This information is not centrally held for non-departmental public bodies. This information has been requested from the Department's non-departmental public bodies and when available will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Telephone Services

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870.

Helen Grant: The Department's customer service telephone lines are not restricted to those beginning 0870.
	The Department uses 0870 telephone lines as fax numbers; 96 of these are for use by the public, the rest are used internally.
	The Department's approach is not to use 087 for non-geographic numbers and instead, wherever possible, to assign 0300 numbers, for which the tariff is similar to calling an 01 or 02 (geographic) number, whether the caller is using a fixed line or a mobile phone. The Department currently uses 41 ‘0300’ numbers.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Rural Areas

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she plans to take to ensure that BDUK grants mobile network operators full access to publicly-funded BDUK broadband poles and ducts to aid the roll-out of 4G mobile coverage in remote rural areas.

Edward Vaizey: The UK's superfast broadband programme ensures that winning suppliers (i.e. those in receipt of state aid) must make available new poles or ducts created with public money to competing operators, who are able to use that new infrastructure to offer other services such as 4G mobile coverage.

Olympic Games

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether her Department provides any long-term funding for the Special Olympics Great Britain team;
	(2)  whether her Department has provided any grants to the Special Olympics Great Britain team in the last year.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England have not directly funded the Special Olympics 6B team, but did provide £225,000 to the Special Olympics and Mencap in 2011, as part of their £1.3 million of National Lottery funding into six disability sports organisations, to get more disabled people playing sport.